Closed to reason

INCB and the mechanisms of global drug control 22 Appendix B: The role of the INCB as specifi ed in the UN drug conventions 24 References 26 Key fi ndings and recommendations The role of drug policy has been transformed since the era in which the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), the 13-member body responsible for monitoring compliance with the United Nations drug conventions, was conc [...] Specifi cally, these indicators proposed: • that the INCB would send 2600 letters to governments on matters related to the implementation of the 1961 and 1971 conventions, and 1700 letters related to the implementation of the 1988 Convention; • that 170 governments would react to the Board’s fi ndings; • that the international media would make 600 references to the INCB annual report; and • that t [...] Rather, the INCB annual report “noted the commitment of the government of the Russian Federation to addressing the problems of drug abuse and traffi cking,” expressed concern about “the large extent of drug abuse in the Russian Federation,” and recommended measures to ensure suffi cient funding for “prevention of drug abuse.”42. [...] The report urged Russian authorities to promote the rational use of “opioids for the treatment of pain.”43 Ironically, the INCB report also “encourages the Government to ensure adequate coordination and cooperation between the services providing treatment for drug addicts and HIV/AIDS services.”44. [...] INCB efforts to ensure adequate supplies of controlled medications to relieve the pain of cancer and HIV patients, for example, demonstrate the importance of Board leadership, the value of collaboration with UN agencies, and the ways in which commitment at the Secretariat in Vienna can help enable dialogue at the national level.