In a resolution, Efus calls for a local policy on drugs based on harm reduction
Amiens, France, November 2018 – Efus’ Executive Committee adopted a resolution on local drug policy, a topic on which it has been working for many years and has…
Drug consumption and trafficking and their harmful effects on health, urban security and social cohesion pose a significant challenge to European cities, which face evolving drug markets and new challenges in terms of sanctioning and countering such traffic.
Among the problems caused by consumption and trafficking at the local level are the fact that vulnerable groups tend to gather in deprived neighbourhoods, where risky behaviours in public spaces are also more prevalent. Other issues are the impact of new technologies on local drug trafficking, and conflicts and polarisation around drugs combined with stigmatisation and fear.
Since it was founded in 1987, Efus has been providing local elected officials and practitioners, in particular municipal health and security services, with a pan-European forum for exchange among peers on prevention and harm reduction policies as part of urban security.
Efus considers that local and regional authorities play and must play an important role in drug policies because they are on the front line, facing local security and social cohesion issues linked to drug consumption and trafficking. There are many approaches to reduce risks linked to drugs and local and regional authorities are well placed to design multidisciplinary strategies to reduce such risks.
Efus advocates drug policies that are practical and geared towards reducing the risks caused by drug consumption on the health, social well-being and security of individuals, local communities and society. Such strategies should be designed based on the specific needs of each city and region and be easily adjustable to the rapidly evolving policies on and phenomenology of drugs.
In a resolution published in 2018, Efus supports supervised consumption rooms, which have shown ‘promising results in several European countries’.
Discover the actions implemented in communities across Europe through our summary documents, which present the key elements of each of these initiatives, including their context, objectives, activities, budget, evaluation. All of our practice and summary sheets can be found on Efus Network.
Amiens, France, November 2018 – Efus’ Executive Committee adopted a resolution on local drug policy, a topic on which it has been working for many years and has…
Context The project will focus on the implementation and sustainability of the Drug Consumption Rooms in several European cities and assess their impacts on the territory. These measures pursue…
Paris, September 2017 – The European Commission has officially adopted in July its new Action Plan on Drugs for the period 2017-2020, which focuses strongly on harm reduction,…
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