On May 14-15 in Gothenburg (Sweden), the FDFE Representative from Brussels attended the 6th World Forum Against Drugs (WFAD) and the 25th European Cities Against Drugs (ECAD) Mayors’ Conference. This event gathering 388 participants was co-organized by WFAD, ECAD, Sverige Mot Narkotika and the City of Gothenburg. It was held in the main Conference and adjacent rooms of the Elite Hotel.
To introduce the Forum, the Chair of the City Executive Board, Mrs. Ann-Sofie Hermansson, the WFAD International President, Mr. Sven-Olov Carlsson and the ECAD Chair, Mr. Viggo Lütcherath, as first speakers reminded that the world drug problem is both grave and serious and that the use and abuse of illicit drugs constitute a serious public health problem not only to the individuals, their families and close ones but also to their communities.
The drug problem subject was covered in 4 high level seminars with representatives from the whole world.
A UNODC Representative stressed that the drug use prevention is encompassing also human rights and the importance to take into account the growth and the development phases of the youth.
It was also uniformly admitted that the jail is not the solution in itself. The ultimate objective when addressing to a drug user is to get the individual out of drugs and back in the society. The time of the sole “harm reduction” is over, replaced by a “comprehensive prevention”.
Three main topics were exhibited:
. Prevent, don’t promote
. Mobilize communities,
. Rediscover recovery.
