Not so silent partners
In his speech to the NGO forum at the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) on Wednesday 12 March, Mr. Antonio Maria Costa, the Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), emphasized that he doesn’t need NGOs as "silent partners" and called for challenging his views. However, when someone did challenge him he refused to answer the question.
Frederick Polak, a respected Dutch psychiatrist asked at the meeting of the Vienna NGO Forum: "In Holland cannabis is availabe for everybody who wants to use it and is an adult over 18 years. So there is no restriction on the personal use of cannabis and on possession of small quantities. Yet the levels of use of cannabis in Holland are lower then in the countries surrounding us (…) I would like to know how you explain this, because this in contrary to theory of drug prohibition."
Costa dodged the question, quoting erroneous figures about coffee shops and a distortion of the current debate in the Netherlands. He then closed the discussion.
One wonders what would happen if he would treat one of the country delegates in the same arrogant manner. Apparently, he thinks NGO representatives can be treated as 'lunatics' - a reference he made to the attendants of the 2007 International Drug Policy Reform Conference of the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) in New Orleans in December last year.
To his benefit one should acknowledge the fact that he took up the invitation to attend the DPA conference, a forum not very receptive to his message. At the conference Costa was challenged with the same question. The point made to him was specifically that the Netherlands effectively had free cannabis availability, but average to low (European) levels of use. Costa's response was to accuse the Netherlands of 'poisoning the rest of Europe' with its amphetamine production.
After a formal protest by the Dutch Government, Costa had to write a letter to apologize for his remarks. (See: the audio registration of Question & Answer with Dr. Antonio Maria Costa at the DPA conference; UNODC director (lamb) addresses the DPA (slaughter) on the Transform Drug Policy Foundation Media Blog and Mr. Costa Meets the Opposition in the Drug War Chronicle).
See for the continued Q&A: Polak vs. Costa
