EESC opinion: European drug policy

Key points

The EESC:

• welcomes the proposals in the Commission communication, and agrees that there must be a balanced approach to effectively influencing supply and demand for drugs;

• is disappointed that the Communication constitutes a step back compared to the previous balanced and consensus-based approach, with its one-sided emphasis on measures to reduce supply;

• does not feel that a regulatory and criminal law approach suffices, and calls for the development of a new EU-level drug strategy;

• supports further harmonisation of national measures to combat drug trafficking;

• recommends developing and using an independent, scientifically based evaluation system on supply reduction measures;

• feels that the section of the Communication on demand reduction is over-generalised and disproportionate;

• believes that a comprehensive and coordinated policy on addiction to all psychoactive drugs, both "legal" and "illegal", is needed;

• supports the work of the EU Civil Society Forum on Drugs.