Young people at

the II Latin
American
Conference on
Drug Policy August 26-27 2010
rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Young people at the II Latin American Conference on Drug Policy
Espolea A.C. / Youth R.I.S.E.
info@espolea.org
www.espolea.org

All rights reserved 2010 ©

Design and editing: Aram Barra

Translation: Carlos Armando Ruiz

 PLAYFIELD

The II Latin American Conference on
Drug
Policy
takes place in a context of great social inequality, income disparity
and poverty. Moreover, as shown on its webpage, it includes on the current debates the
consequences produced by control policies in the region: social isolation, disproportionate
imprisonment of drug users and drug mules, social violence, environmental damage, and
human rights violation.

Then, for the second time in history, and
as a unique example around the world at a
regional level, this conference opens
dialogue among drug users, experts, and
policy makers to propose new alternatives
to the actual drug policy in Latin American.
Youth is present!
Indeed, youth around the globe is seen as
communities directly affected by drugs,
because it is related to a stage of life that
is prone to experimentation, due to
pressures from their peers, or to relieve
pain, suffering, or other traumas related to
structural faults or ignored topics by those
policies focused on socio-economic
development.
In that sense, by acknowledging that drug
policies affect our daily life, we’ve taken
upon the challenging endeavor of getting
involved in the debate, to make ourselves
heard and carefully analyze our own
situation to create positive initiative.
That’s how we did it back in 2009 at the
1st Latin American Conference on Drug
Policy held in Buenos Aires, Argentina. As
a satellite event to the conference, we also
organized the first reunion of young
people, where we defined strategic action
areas to work in the region.
During the first year, we promoted the
debate in various countries of the region
through forums, conferences, public
reunions and round tables involving loads
of young users or former drug users. We
also tried to take all these requests to
the international arena and demand a
place in the international round table.
That is why during the 2nd Latin
American Conference of Drug
Policy that took place on August
26th and 27th 2010 in Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil, we the youth
decided to get together once
again and define the strategic
guidelines and course of action
for the following year of hard
work.
We’ve planned to
develop our journey
as follows...
Starting
point During the 2nd Latin American
Conference on Drugs Policy in Rio
de Janeiro, Brazil, on August 26th
and 27th, a young peopleʼs reunion
was held to give continuity to the one
in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
From this conference, twenty young
activists from six different Latin-
American countries (Argentina,
Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, Colombia,
and Mexico) got together with the
objective to collect opinions, to
generate proximity and to propose
perspectives about drug policies and
Twenty young their impact in the young people of
people from the region.
Argentina, Brasil,
Chile, Colombia, These objectives are attached to
Mexico & those proposed by the conference
Uruguay partook itself: bring about an informed social
in the drug policy debate that fosters non-penalizing
debate. policies based on scientific evidence,
that responds efficiently to all the
problems associated with drugs, and
creates a regional exchange among
academics, policy makers, and civil
society in order to update the
mapping on drug consumption,
associated problems, policies, and
interventions throughout the region.
As already mentioned, during the
first meeting of young people in
2009, some exercises were done so
it could be easily identified the areas
of action, particular needs, and ways
of communicating those necessities.
After that, work was focused on
promoting dialogue and on involving
more young people in the regional
debate.
At the reunion held on 2010 focused
on youth, we decided to verify those
regional needs such as educational
programs based on objective and
complete information; the creation of
additional forums to incentivize the
participation of more young people
between 13 and 25 years old; the
search for a real representation in
the political field; and the
implementation of more inclusive
policies on harm reduction.
Then, we resolved to cluster these
needs in three groups: a) inclusion
and youth participation; b) young
drug users; and c) drug policies.
Furthermore, we decided to identify
new action strategies inside those
needs, as well as counterparts to
work jointly in order to establish such
themes not only in the regional
agenda of the conferences, but in
those of our own countries.
 LAB OF IDEAS
Working Grups
As mentioned before, discussion was separated in three groups
of ideas or action areas. Then, young people present at the
conference divided ourselves in three working groups to start
the debate and concentrate on the identification of strategies
and key counterparts. These groups were: a) inclusion and
youth participation, b) young drug users, and c) drug policies.

GrOup A: Inclusion &

Youth Participation
This group discussed, basically, the relationship between drug policies in the region and
other topics included in the agenda for development. After that, action areas were
identified, as well as forms of participation on the topic of Latin American youth and the
relevance of peer education and empowerment, as a strategy to continue influencing in a
significant and proactive way on the debate.

What How Where

Mass media Include youthʼs own vision and
(participate and visualize the topic) challenges
Construction of a common platform - Conceptual union of the word
(group of proposals) (NOT the speech)
- Intersectorial dialogue
- Information exchange
(databases, realities, networks,
contacts, etc.)
- Document, register, interpret
and analyze projects, contexts
and realities.
Peer (and adults) education Development of new material
Make a regional mapping
Identify new actors that help
“how”
Similar medias and friends to
foster mass spaces
- Us!
- Brazilian youth movements
(analyze this experience as an
example)
- Latin American youth
movements (context/reality)
- Us!
- Seek support from United
Nations, multilateral agencies
and government in order to
achieve legitimacy.
- Youth RISE / Espolea
- SSDP

Link drug issues to new non-HIV

issues

Check out the explanation that Juan Ballestas

from Colombia gives regarding Group A
conclusiones (Spanish): http://bit.ly/8Xoyes
❝ Bringing all stakeholders, we want to destigmatize
and break taboos to make serious and
effective public policies that address the drug

❞
problem among youth.
Martín Collazo, Uruguay

GrOUP b: Young drug users

This group was shaped by current and former young drug users. The discussion was
based on those priority necessities (through the eyes of the Latin American youth) such as
fighting ignorance or media misinformation. However, the core of this group was the
discussion on criminalization of drug users and its implications.

What How Who

Exploitation of the state of
ignorance
Press coverage on addictive
substances
Manipulated and deceitful
information
Discrimination and
criminalization of young drug
users
Identify causes (not symptoms) Collectives of addicts and drug
users
Organize and re-educate NGOʼs and civil associations
Broadcasting media
Intergenerational channels for
dialogue
Research Institutes
Honest and objective
information
Campaigns for diffusion of Peer education
information

Separation of State United Nations agencies

Schools and Universities

Incite current and former drug
users to lead their own
treatments

Group c: Drug policies

Recognizing that the actual drug policy is inefficient, ineffective
and its costs have exceed its benefits in that related to
youth, this group focused In thinking how, by
incorporating relevant actors, to destigmatize and
break taboos that hinder successful strategies, new
public policies to fight drugs among young people
can be achieved, as well as to those problems
attached to it.
 What How Who

- Prevention - Research - Civil Society

- Non-prohibitionist policies - Advocacy / incidence - Governments
- Harm reduction education - Legal framework renovation - Academia
Schools - Youthʼs perspective and - International System
participation
- Treatment
- Medical care and attention
- No discrimination

- Openness to debate
- Destigmatization and breaking of
taboos.

Check out Martín Collazo from Uruguay

regarding group C conclusions (Spanish):
http://bit.ly/b4w2eC

current policies
in LA The last working group based much of their
discussion in the research and analysis conducted in
recent years by the International Harm Reduction
Association. Some data used by the group was:
 Rapporteur on Youth Participation
2nd Latin American Conference on Drug Policies
August 27th 2010

The Latin American youth present at the second Latin American Conference on Drug
Policy met and found three axis of participation of young people in the regional
debate:

1) We, the new generations, have a fundamental role to play on the definition
of the problems of the region. We require assuring a more active and
significant participation at all levels of debate. Nothing about us without
us!

2) There’s an urgent need to generate, publish, and spread information based

on scientific evidence that links a comprehensive and youthful
perspective of the processes, projects, contexts, and realities from the
different communities of Latin America today. The production and
distribution of Latin-American bibliography is fundamental. As said by
former president of the United States Bill Clinton on AIDS2010 in Vienna
“We know what works, now governments should escalate their
response”.

3) It is a top priority to promote, above all, freedom and responsibility of

each person to exercise our rights as individuals, to get access to
information and education in order to make decisions about our own
body without the implication of a continuous stigmatization,
criminalization or persecution. Thus, there is a primary concern on
changing our drug policy to one based on respect to human rights. This
requires the creation of secure spaces for drug users and the promotion
of peer education and harm reduction policies as tools and strategies of
the educational programs at a national level. We should encourage
campaigns and materials production in mass and communitarian media
with friendly and pertinent information for young people.

Based on the above, we’ve agreed to work together during next year to create a
regional strategy from young people in Latin America, with the firm objective of
actively participating in the modification of our own policies and realities.

From that one who shoots heroin in the Mexican northern border to that young crack
user in the suburbs of Montevideo, this afternoon we want to tell you that us, the
Latin American young people, are present, interested and in action.

Thank you!

Video of live reading (Spanish and Portuguese):

http://bit.ly/cKfLdU