[Courtesy of the European Coalition for Just and Effective Drug Policies]

We are happy to inform you that with the support of the regional Government of the Basque Country in Spain, we are able to start a new project.

This project will consist of a research and training workshop on the opportunities and capacities of associations of users of illiicit drugs to participate in the design of policies that directly concern them: drug policies.

We will focus on two levels of policy making: the regional (Basque Country) and the European. The regional experience will be related to the drafting of a new regional action plan on drugs that is currently in process in the Basque Country. The European on the evaluation of the former EU Action Plan (2005-2008) and the planning of the new AP (2009-2012).

The project in the Basque Country will be coordinated together with two members from there: Ganjazz and La Regadera. National coordination in Spain is in the hands of Virginia Montañes and Joep Oomen will co-ordinate the European project.

In the coming week we will publish a summarised version of the European project online on the page that is dedicated to this project: http://www.encod.org/info/DRUGS-AND-DIPLOMACY.html

Concerning the European project: one part of the research will consist of a questionnaire to ENCOD members that will be sent out on 20 October. Another part will be a series of interviews to drug user activists who will participate in the International Drug User day event hosted by the Danish Drug Users Union in Copenhagen (31 October to 2 November). The final part will be the organisation of a workshop with 20 representatives of drug users associations that will be held from 21 to 23 November in Vitoria, Spain. After that meeting, we will write a report with suggestions and recommendations.

We are currently starting the invitation process for the workshop in Vitoria. We will invite the representatives of 21 organisations: 12 from the Basque Country, 3 from Spain and 6 from the rest of Europe. Of these six, 3 will represent (mainly) cannabis user organisations and 3 (mainly) other drug user organisations.

If you have any questions at this moment please feel free to ask.

Best wishes

Joep (e-mail: joep@encod.org)

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