How to deal with the question of regulation in terms of public health, of respect of individual liberties and common good, while making consumers more responsible? Find out more at: https://campagne.tiretonplant.be/en/
The launch of the Ayahuasca Defense Fund crowdfunding campaign
Our friends at ICEERS just launched a 30-day Ayahuasca Defense Fund crowdfunding campaign and they need our help to transform gratitude to generosity! Plant teachers have helped so many, however these practices are still being criminalized and action is needed.
https://www.facebook.com/ICEERS/videos/1388765571323595/
We’re staring into the face of a sixth mass extinction. Plant teachers and the ancestral knowledge systems that surround them are helping humanity to wake up and remember what it truly means to be human and to choose the path of regeneration, of hope, and of being the ancestors our great-grandchildren need us to be.
Yet these plant teachers are getting caught in the nets of drug control. Indigenous and non-indigenous people who work with plants − such as ayahuasca, iboga, mushrooms, coca, and others − are being prosecuted for their roles as facilitators, curanderos, healers, and teachers. They’ve been arrested in Spain, the United States, Chile, Russia, and 24 other countries.
Since 2016 the ICEERS Ayahuasca Defense Fund team has been steady and committed – we’ve helped with over 110 cases in just 3 years and the number of arrests is rising. We need your help to continue this critical work helping people who’ve been arrested, preventing legal incidents, and promoting sensible policy.
Together we can liberate plant teachers!
How you can help:
- Donate! We’ve curated an incredible collection of perks – from original t-shirts to Shipibo textiles and original art. Many are limited in number, so claim yours quickly!
- Share the campaign video through your networks. We rely on sharing to get the word out far and wide.
- Tell your story! We welcome testimonies and stories that illustrate the importance of ending the criminalization of these practices. Share a testimony or story to vouch for ICEERS and the Ayahuasca Defense Fund.
Thank you so much for your support.
Political irresponsibility locks up innocent people in jail
Actions & EventsCannabis Social ClubsFREEDOM TO FARMLEGAL SITUATION ON CANNABIS IN EUROPENewsPressSPAIN
Six members of La MACA Barcelona were sentenced to a total of 31 years of prison for an offence against Public Health and illicit association. The sustainable, transparent and healthy option that the Cannabis Social Clubs (CSC) represent is being suppressed by the Spanish State.
An appeal will be made to the Supreme Court to demonstrate the injustice of sentencing an association that was involved in the process of regulation of CSC in Catalonia and on the national level. This sentence is a political sentence. La MACA stands for freedom of assembly and is a democratic association acting inside of the personal consumption construct.
We are seeds, plant the change!
Free La MACA Barcelona!
Political irresponsibility locks up innocent people in jail
The absolute hypocrisy of the Spanish State in drug policy is flagrant and counterproductive. Once again they have turned their backs to the associative model of cannabis use that has been demanding regulation for the benefit of public health and the human rights of. Public administrations and political representatives demonstrate great human irresponsibility by imprisoning us for our convictions. A serious attack on human rights experience in La MACA in the first person.
La MACA was one of the first Cannabis Social Clubs established in Catalonia and was a pioneer in offering therapeutic support services led by Dr Joan Parés. La MACA is an association committed to social improvement It is made up of responsible members active in a political struggle to defend the rights of cannabis users. La MACA is part of CatFAC, ConFAC, REMA and ENCOD, and therefore is part of the Barcelona Associations Council, the Barcelona Youth Council, the Neighborhood Council, the Drug Dependency Working Group of the Barcelona City Council and the Vienna NGO Committee, among other entities. It is an association that is dedicated to improving the conditions of the people who live in their neighbourhood, who care about the environment, who actively participate in the surrounding community. In short, the association has worked tirelessly for citizen coexistence.
La MACA is made up of people like you, men, women, fathers, mothers, workers, students, unemployed, retired … activists who want to make their voices heard to give prominence to cannabis users. For a society that unites to create changes and give alternatives to the iron fist that continues to drown us with hypocrisies and control systems based on ideological postulates and not on scientific evidence.
Today, we must denounce more than ever a serious attack on our rights. The 6 activists of La MACA have been sentenced to a total of 31 years of jail and very high fines for working for the benefit of all. For actively fighting against drug trafficking, mafias and providing health and safety of the chosen lifestyle.
We are not criminals.
The sentence violates all our rights to a fair trial and is clearly unproportional and anachronistic. It does not take into account our work as an association, nor the witnesses presented, nor the defence. Justice is not fair if it is not legitimate and legitimacy is lost, if it does not contemplate the particularities of the specific case and the social context.
The hit has been very hard. But it won’t stop us. We will appeal to the Supreme Court. And we demand that policy-makers carry out the necessary regulation in Spain and give a political response to a social reality that allows dejudicialising and should be a challenge for the whole society.
Many autonomous communities and city councils have already wanted to take a step forward to solve this situation that has such high costs, both for the administration and for us, ruining our lives. But this is the responsibility of the State, therefore, we demand that it fulfils it. Stop the illicit market and recognize our rights. Public health is also our health.
We thank all those entities, people and companies that have supported us. In particular, we want to thank the members, who with their courage, loyalty and commitment, have carried out this project, without them none of this would have been possible. Today we need you more than ever. They want to stop us and maintain a criminal and prohibitionist system that has already been recognized as obsolete at the international level.
“They can cut all the flowers – of cannabis – but they can’t stop the spring”, we are convinced of that. But right now we need you more than ever to continue the struggle.
The future is regulation, but we cannot achieve it without partners who help us.
Everybody with La MACA.
Everybody with the Freedom.
Drug policy reform at the United Nations: A Youth Advocacy Handbook
Civil society engagement at the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) and related meetings has improved dramatically over the past decade – in terms of the numbers attending, the opportunities to interact and participate, and the levels of experience and professionalism of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) themselves. These changes are very important given that the contribution of NGOs and civil society organisations make policy making more responsive to the needs of society. Moreover, youth involvement specifically makes the voice of those who are normally excluded from policy making but are disproportionally affected by the results heard. In their efforts to promote an inclusive and evidence based debate, SSDPers have been organizing side events and have even been elected on the board of the Vienna NGO Committee on Drugs (VNGOC) which advocates for and oversees civil society involvement in CND proceedings. In order to encourage these dynamics, this Advocacy Handbook gives an overview of the main UN institutions involved with the making of global drug policy, as well as about the ins and outs of youth advocacy at the CND. We hope that such an overview will help you to make valuable contribution to the work of the CND and advocate for an evidence based drug policy embedded in the protection of human rights.
Please access the handbook here.
ReLeaf Malta presented the proposal for legalised & regulated cannabis market
We are pleased to inform you that on 11 December ReLeaf Malta presented the proposal for legalised & regulated cannabis market to Hon. Julia Farrugia Portelli, Parliamentary Secretary responsible from the reform.
This proposal aims to provide local authorities with a brief over view of a regulated cannabis market for adult use and highlights the importance to enact legislative changes based on human rights and harm reduction principles.
ReLeaf underlines the importance of a multidisciplinary approach, therefore the need to include legal, social, economic, educational and health considerations when drafting a national framework regulating the cultivation, consumption and sale of the cannabis plants and its derivatives. As already proven by countries legislating and regulating cannabis for personal use, cannabis policy is best implemented through a balanced, evidence based and inclusive legislative framework.
Please find the Proposal here: ReLeaf-Presentation
and Video here: Releaf 2020 Proposal
ReLeaf Malta proposes Freedom to Farm for the Maltese Constitutional reform
In the past years, Malta experienced drastic demographic, technological and infrastructural change. These changes are having a direct effect on the country and positioning Malta at a curious cross roads between a conservative and closed past towards a more open, diverse and inclusive future.
A country that slowly but surely emerges from a relatively economic and socially stagnant past, and moving towards an innovative and modern future requires a constitution which reflects novel aspirations of the people, whilst include safeguards for the promotion of a democratic and just nation state.
The country is implementing these changes with a strong capitalist mindset and with commercial interests sometimes taking over human, environmental and health considerations. We are seeing a corporate take over in various fields, with the role and rights of the individual diminished in the name of good business.
It is curious that when it comes to certain substances, such as cannabis, the Government together with businesses is centralising cultivation, manufacturing and distribution to the extent that Maltese citizens continue to face harsh criminal repercussions if caught cultivating cannabis for personal use.
ReLeaf is therefore highlighting the importance to safeguard the right to personal cultivation of plants, including psychoactive plants and ensure Maltese citizens continue to enjoy the right to personal cultivation and freedom to farm.
Read the ReLeaf proposal for the Reform of the Constitution of Malta here: https://riformakostituzzjonali.gov.mt/documents/andrew-bonello-releaf-malta/?lang=en
Source: ReLeaf Malta
Cultiva 2019 (AT) was a target of an intensive police action
This year’s Cultiva took place from 11th to 13th October 2019. But this time with less enthusiasm. This can be attributed to increased police controls, which affected almost 200 trade fair visitors this year. Hemp, a versatile plant that has been in great demand for more than 4,000 years, has been enjoying increasing popularity in medicine for several years now. A lot of countries around Austria decriminalized cannabis, but instead of supporting the prosperity of the citizens, a hunt is launched that destroys families, health and other livelihoods. “This is a violation of human rights,” comments ENCOD’s EC with anger. ENCOD is one of the NGOs who participated with an information stand at Cultiva for several years and educates interested people about drug policy. According to insider information, medical officers rent hotel rooms in the same venue with their drug dogs and catch visitors after closing time. Two years ago there were even racist comments made by Austrian Police officer to a group of visitors from Slovenia: ‘They should leave Austria and never set foot in the country again.’ Such measures are not exactly a model for a state that is on the first place of quality of life. Quality of life means prosperity and prosperity is defined with happiness, health, love and money. As for the first three values, the country seems to be increasingly impoverished. It is time for citizens to take certain actions into their own hands.
Police department of Lower Austria published on Oct. 14th 2019 a press release with the following records:
161 drivers were impaired by (illegal) substances
22 drivers had to pay a fine
6 drivers refused examination by public medical officer
15 drivers had symptoms of fatigue
Confiscated products:
710 g cannabis, 36 joints, 11 grinders, XTC tablets, magic mushrooms and a knife.
The actions of the police are outrageous and point to several important issues related to cannabis. There is an urgent need to define the allowed levels of THC in blood since the cannabinoid stays in the body for a much longer time than the acute effects last. Medical users (even German patients who have a prescription and are allowed to drive in Germany) were humiliated, mistreated and taken by the police as criminals.
The “City Back Driver” project was founded by CIA-TV (and support of ENCOD) to redirect trade fair visitors back to the urban areas for a voluntary donation. Of course, the drivers are “clean”. The action has been enforced on Sunday evening, as taxi drivers joined the project. More solidarity and humanity are needed in this world. If there is a fair next year it’s time again and you can sign up as a City Back Driver (and maybe From City Driver too).
If you still have interesting reports and information from the Cultiva, send it to office@encod.org.
Fernanda, the grandmother of marijuana
A step away from jail at 76: “I am not a drug dealer”
76 years old Fernanda was the first legal cultivator in Spain. Now she will be judged for an alleged excess production.
She is 76 years old and is judged for 4 years in jail. The reason? Marijuana plants in her garden. Her name is Fernanda De la Figuera and she is one of the most relevant cannabis figures in Spain. The marijuana grandmother is a familiar and respected face within the national cannabis scene. She has been planting in her garden for 50 years. Now, for that reason, she faces 4 years in prison.
Fernanda, born in Madrid but resident in Malaga for more than 40 years, got to know cannabis in the 60s. Since then she has become one of the greatest hemp activists in her country. Her fight achieved milestones in the mid-90s, when she became the first legal cultivator in Spain. She also participated in the creation of the first cannabis clubs in Spain, based in Barcelona. She has never trafficked. The purposes of her cultivation is essentially medicinal. Now she is accused of overproduction and that can lead her to jail.
“No, no. If I wanted to make money with marijuana, I would have become a drug dealer. I am not a narcotrafficker. It is not the case and everyone knows it. I do not traffic. I plant marijuana for medical reasons; because thanks to her I can live in decent conditions. I was diagnosed as a child with a series of health problems, such as osteoarthritis, rheumatism … I fell and broke my tailbone. If it weren’t for marijuana I would be in a wheelchair. I don’t just say that, doctors have diagnosed me“, she says in a conversation with EL ESPAÑOL.
Tomatoes, corn, marijuana …
In 1995 she was allowed to legally cultivate marijuana plants for medicinal purposes after a precedential sentence in Spain. “I had an excellent lawyer and got the right to plant in my garden. I had a row of tomatoes, another of marijuana, another of corn… ” She was basically growing her medicine. “And that of my daughter, for example, who has not smoked in her life and suffered severe menstrual pain. She gave her a scrub with cannabis oils and calmed all the pain”, she says.
If you have been allowed to legally cultivate, where is the problem? In quantity. Fernanda opened cannabis associations with a strong feminist component. She called them “Mary x Mary.” “I have been a feminist when the movement in Spain was not yet important. I was a single mother and advocated for responsible motherhood without getting married,” she recalls. With her associations, she sought to bring women closer to cannabis culture in a responsible way and with information. “But in the associations there are also men, I get along very well with them, I want them working and fighting by my side,” she summarizes.
In these associations, all affiliates collaborated to have one plant per member. The fame of the figure of ‘the cannabis grandmother’ and the philosophy of her clubs made the number of members increase. “At the beginning we were 25, so we cultivated 25 plants. In the end we were more than 100, I can’t tell you if we were 120, 150 or 180. Well, one for each one, which is fair,” says Fernanda, who adds that “sometimes the calculations don’t add up. Some plants do not mature, others do not get yield … You end up balancing so that everyone has at least some cannabis. You tell me, if that is trafficking.”
Trial Suspended
The alleged crime is in the increase of production. The increase of members has led to a logical increase in production, and this is why they have denounced it. They have tried to obstruct Fernanda’s growing on all sides. Legally and illegally. From security forces to thieves. And in the end, although she became the first legal cannabis grower in Spain, she will be seen again in court for this matter. She is accused of an excess of production. Spanish legislation has a great legal vacuum in the field of cannabis production and now they accuse her of producing more than she should. In total, she faces 4 years in prison.
The trial should have been held on Thursday, April 25 at the Provincial Court of Malaga, but it has been suspended. “They have postponed it until October for a matter of missing documents. Bureaucratic issues.” Thus, its uncertainty continues until after summer. However, Fernanda maintains a positive attitude about it: “Let’s not be pessimistic. We’re going to wait. If in the end there is a conviction, then there are other courts above to appeal,” says Fernanda.
The century of cannabis medicine
“This is going to be the century of cannabis medicine and they know it in countries like Israel, where it is being given to older people who find an absolute improvement with marijuana treatments. It doesn’t have to be smoked, there are oils, tinctures, edible formats…”
As a person with more than 50 years of experience as a consumer says, “and it has done me only good. I was born in a very conservative family, very male chauvinist, military. But it was precisely the contact with the legion’s military, those who came to Malaga with the kifi (the name of marijuana pollen in Morocco) that put me in contact with cannabis. My parents, in the end, who lived in Larache (Morocco) and never smoked, finally understood why I consumed,” she recalls. She has spent her entire life consuming to improve her health. And not even the threat of jail will change her philosophy: “I am not a drug dealer. I have never sold. I only grow to be healthy. Cannabis has been with me all my life, but I wish I had known it before. ”
translated by ENCOD
Original source: https://www.elespanol.com/reportajes/20190426/fernanda-abuela-marihuana-paso-carcel-no-narcotraficante/393961657_0.html
General Assembly 2019
ENCOD GA will be held from September 13th to 15th in Carinthia, Austria. All active members (that means who paid the membership fee for 2019) are invited. It will be interesting and a good opportunity for networking. For further information, send an email to treasurer@encod.org.
ENCOD General Assembly 2018 Press Release
THE ENCOD GENERAL ASSEMBLY HAS ELECTED A BOARD WITH WOMEN MAJORITY
ENCOD continues improving the Drugs Policy and revamps the NGO by an equality gender perspective, giving priority to the participation of the members and the transparent management in a sensible and professional approach.
BÍTOV – The General Assembly of ENCOD was held from 21 st to the 23 rd of September at Konopná farma Vranč in Bitov (Czech Republic). It was attended by more than 15 members and other collaborators joined online. It was a special meeting as 2018 is ENCOD’s 25th anniversary.
ENCOD has always got a democratic structure based on the decisions of the General Assembly carried out by the members of the Executive Committee. During the meeting, a new internal structure has been agreed upon by the members of the GA to improve the efficiency of the organization and encouraging members to participate actively in different issues in different countries.
This new structure consists of 5 working departments, divided in the following way among the elected Executive Committee:
- President: our veteran activist and Italian journalist Enrico Fletzer will head the Department of Civil Society and Harm Reduction.
- Treasurer: the Austrian manager, unionist, coach, Gabriele Kozàr will head the Department of Coordination and Administration.
- Secretary: our new EC member from the Czech Republic, Anna Němcová will head the Department of Communication.
- The Department of Science and Research: headed by our Slovenian EC member, the anthropologist Maja Kohek
- The Department of Drugs Policy will be headed by our Spanish EC member, politologist Ana Afuera Gómez.
During the three days of assembly the projects so far achieved in 2017 were discussed as well as the ongoing projects for 2018. The GA voted on a mission statement as a guide for the organization, especially for the work of the EC.
As challenge for the next year we have committed ourselves to encourage the participation of all ENCOD members. We will remain a horizontal and democratic structured NGO and we will increase the transparency of management, implementing a new plan for the internal and the external communication, to improve the networking and the spreading of ENCOD message and demands.
We are confident of taking a large step towards political impact in the European Union thanks to the new division into departments and thus reaching a better documentation of various subjects and themes related to drugs and drug policies. As 2019 could be a tipping point in cannabis regulation we will organize some actions in and around UN.
We are very happy about the newly elected EC and are pleased to keep working on our main goal, to achieve the peace on drugs. We point out again the Freedom to Farm, as it is everybody’s right to grow every plant. To claim your rights, come and join ENCOD!