Interview with International Alliance of Women Who Use Drugs Rep Freedom Vivian

The International Alliance of Women who use drugs (IAWUD) is one such group that provides women-only spaces, where challenges being faced can be shared, along with support.

Sydney Criminal Lawyers spoke with Freedom Vivian, spokesperson for IAWUD, about the issues that emerge for women under drug prohibition, the need for women-specific networks, and the failure of Australia to keep up its former status as a “world leader” in harm minimisation

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The War on Drugs is fuelling the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Urgent action needed.

The Global Commission on Drug Policy has just released its second report entitled:
 The War on Drugs and HIV/AIDS. How the criminalisation of Drug Use fuels the Global Pandemic.  

http://www.globalcommissionondrugs.org/

The Global Commission is comprised of 6 Former Presidents and other World Leaders (including Sir Richard Branson) and today released its report and urgent ten point plan.

To uphold the UN general assembly committment to reduce HIV rates amongst PWID by 50% by 2015 World Leaders must ACT URGENTLY.
In a first step we must acknowlege and address the undeniable link between the War On Drugs and the subsequent criminalization of drug use and drug users and the spread of HIV\AIDS.
The HIV epidemic continues to grow amongst people who inject drugs. Of the 16 Million people worldwide who inject drugs,1 in every 5 is HIV positive.

The first reccomendation from the commission is to end the criminalization of drug use.

This is key to the report.
The current UN single convention is over 50 years old and was written before the AIDS epidemic.

Rants from Russia with Love

"We will win"

 Victor Ivanov @ The Third World Against Drugs Forum

Win what?

According to the Obama administration there is no official 'War on Drugs" it's just an extreme position.

So now that's just not adding up.

Neither is Victors paranoid ranting in his opening speech at the 3rd World Against Drugs Forum about about a 'high scale and highly aggressive PR campaign" that is apparently being run by anyone who seeks an end to prohibition or who opposes the US lead 'War on Drugs". 

I think Victor needs to do three things.

1 Put down the bottle and concentrate

2 Listen

3 Get real

The people who WANT the status quo to continue are those who are profiting from the current "War".
These profiteers include not only the drug cartels, corrupt government officials, law enforcement but include those who own private prisons, big pharma and a whole host of lawyers, counsellor's, rehab centres and the list goes on. Motivated by money.

Opposing prohibition are the Harm Reductionists, including people who use drugs, their families and loved ones, people who have lost a child of a member of their family, LEAP (Law enforcement against Prohibition) members, INPUD (International Network of People who use Drugs) members, drug user organisations the world over,  human rights promoters and civil rights activists.

Stop distorting the issue Victor.
No-one is suggesting legalization to enable drug cartels as you say but in fact just the opposite.

The legalization and regulation of illicit drugs by the government takes back power and control from illegitimate drug cartels and narco states.

So 1 of 2 things. It's either you really dont understand the parameters of the arguement and therefor should not be even talking about it or 2 You are deliberately confusing the issue for others. Either way....

Whos interests are you protecting?

We know you dont care about human rights , free will or personal sovereignty.

Everything you promote increases the harms to people who use drugs and their families.... and for the record the term is People who use drugs; not as you say; "Drug addicts".

The Third Option - the future of US drug policies; threatening families and forced recovery

 US Drug Zar Gil K is using language to reposition the US angle on Drug Policy.

At the recent 3rd World Forum Against Drugs Gil K deliberately adopted the language of the Harm Reduction movement and in doing so has morphed US policies in front of our very eyes. Now its not "tough on drugs" or "The War on Drugs', no now hes talking about 'evidence based' and 'science' (god forbid).

In a highly deceptive move the same failed policies are being relabelling and touted as a 'option', all without acknowledging any wrong doing from their previous failed  policies.

In a desperate attempt to distance the Obama administration from the "War on Drugs', Gil is now referring to it as being one of the two extremes. The other being the "silver bullet" of drug legalization.
The middle ground, "between these two extremes" according to Gil K is more of the same. 

Silly me. Here I was thinking that they were actually trying for all these years but no it turns out it was all a bit half arsed and what they really need to do to win this war on drugs is give it just a bit more... um how do you say it.... a bit more of the same...just more of it!

"Come on boys lets just give it one more go, this time lets put a little bit of oomph into it"

Plus theyve relabeled it. This time they  decided that "more of the same" sounds better when you call it
"The Third Option".
But its not new or radical or different or even an 'option',  its just a ramped up version of everything they've tried before.
The kicker is that they've widened the scope, and its going to get really ugly.
The two key points of the Third Option that are ultra alarming are:.

1) They are going to use the thing that you hold dearest against you. The very thing that makes you most vulnerable.....Your children. Yep thats right, they are coming to take your children. Under the guise of "Protection" they will remove children either temporarily or permanently from people who use illicit drug. 

 " Citizens , especially children have the right to be safe from illegal drug use and the associated crime and violence" Gil Kerlikowske

Sounds fair enough....right?. Until you realise what is actually being said.
Paraphrasing Gil K " Your children have the right to be taken away from you because you use drugs other than alcohol. Drugs that we have made illegal"
Whether or not you are a bad parent has not even been mentioned...because its not about protecting children from bad parents its about social control. They need to be seen to be WINNING this war at any cost and if taking a child away from its mother/ father or family is be the quickest route to disrupt drug use and trafficking, then so be it.
America already has a whole generation of black men locked behind bars and now they are going to take the kids.
The hypocrisy is astounding.

Try explaining this to an alien....Its OK to drink alcohol (a drug). That drug use is no reflection on how much you value your children but if you use other (currently illegal) drugs that means you are automatically a bad parent and should have your children removed.

Shame Obama shame. A man who has admitted to using cocaine ( and a parent) allowing the state to use children as pawns in an unholy and un-winnable war.

The second worrying trend is the lean towards :recovery". The forced "recovery". Which according to Obama you can actually experience whilst  in jail - how convenient for all those poor souls currently doing timein the big house. As we all know the best place to unravel psychological baggage is in a safe and nurturing environment like jail.!#$%
The false premise is that people who use illicit drugs do so because they are addicted and according to Gil K "Modern Drug Policies must acknowledge that drug addiction is a chronic disease of the brain".
In actual fact the vast majority of people who use illicit drugs do so because they 'choose' to do so and prefer it to the legal drug alcohol. So for them there is nothing to recover from. All the talk about evidence based prevention and early intervention, treatement and recovery means nothing if you choose to use illicit drugs.
 By deliberately confusing the two seperate issues of illicit drug use and illicit drug abuse Gil K and the Obama administration position themselves yet again as saviours protecting you from your free will (not dictators).
They are funnelling funds away from evidence based programs line Needle and Syringe programs and giving it to "Recovery" based programs, usually run by sane Christian people (who believe in a man in the sky who has magical powers).
The hypocrisy never ends.
At this world drug free wacko convention I guarantee you that they would be serving alcohol with meals.

People who use drugs making inhumane laws about people who use different drugs.