A 50 Year Old Convention: What's Wrong With an Update?
The HCLU’s video advocacy team attended the 54th session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) in Vienna. They asked both Mr. Yuri Fedotov, the head of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and his NGO critics about the 50 years of drug prohibition – watch the short film to find out what they said!
“This year is the 50th anniversary of the keystones of the international drug control system, the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs” said Mr. Yuri Fedotov, the director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in his opening speech at the 54th session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) in Vienna. “Some critics say this convention is out of date but I disagree. The provisions of the convention remain valid as it does center focus on the protection of health. I urge the international community to rejuvenate the convention and I encourage member states to rededicate yourselves to implement its provisions.”
See also: Rejuvenation or defection: Some reflections on UNODC Executive Director Fedotov's opening speech, by Tom Blickman, TNI Weblog, March 21, 2011
