A Peacepipe for the European Union

Members of the Darwin-based drug law-reform group, the Network Against Prohibition (NAP), are excited about the prospect of sweeping changes to European drug laws.

Last week, drug policy activists from across Europe were offered a peacepipe to representatives of the European Union, during a Public Hearing in the European Parliament on the future of drug policies in the EU..

To share a peacepipe is a common ritual among various civilizations across the globe. The gesture is meant to create the right atmosphere for dialogue between opponents. On 21 April, representatives of the European Coalition for Just and Effective Drug Policies (ENCOD) offered the peacepipe to European Union authorities, among them EU Commissioner of Justice Frattini, in an effort to convince them to make an end to the prohibition of drugs.

The peacepipe has been especially designed for this purpose by the German company ROOR, which distributes waterpipes used for smoking cannabis without tobacco, through the entire world. The pipe is carrying the signatures of various prominent advocates of the legalisation of drugs, such as Howard Marks, Marco Kuhn, Scott Blakey and Stivi Wolyniec.

ENCOD hopes that the hearing in the European Parliament will become an important step towards the end of drug prohibition in Europe. The organisation considers the hearing as a support for the "Catania report", a set of recommendations on drug policy that was approved by the European Parliament in December 2004.

The report, named after its draftsman, Italian MEP Giusto Catania, recognises that current policies are inadequate. It establishes health promotion as the basic principle of future drug policies, and recommends establishing concrete measures to facilitate the involvement of civil society in drug policy making.

In the draft of the new EU Action Plan, released by the European Commission in February 2005, the recommendations of the European Parliament report have been ignored completely. In the past month ENCOD has collected more than 35.000 signatures in an online petition to support the Catania report see .

According to recent figures from the European Monitoring Centre on Drugs and Drug Addiction, up to 10 % of European adult citizens (or approx. 45 million people) admit to be a "regular" user of cannabis which is still illegal throughout the Union. This means that according to current drug laws, a population is being criminalised that is larger than that of a country like Spain or Poland.

"Today we need symbols more than ever" says Howard Marks, author and entrepreneur specialised in cannabis. "A good dialogue will lead to far reaching and intelligent decisions, and as the Indians already knew, sharing the peacepipe will give us the courage to do so."

ENCOD facilitate an International Coalition of Non-Government Organisations for Just and Effective Drugs Policy, of which the Darwin-based drug law-reform organisation, the Network Against Prohibition, is a member.

NAP spokesperson for European affairs, Scott White, said: "ENCOD's secretariat and member organisations are without a doubt leading the way towards the re-legalisation of currently illicit substances. While Australia blindly follows the USA and the UK with an ancient zero tolerance approach to drugs, many countries in Europe have accepted that the 'war on drugs' cannot be won."

"The network congratulates our European comrades for their inspiring drug law-reform work."

"The Europeans are moving towards relaxing drug laws and accepting drug use as a normal course of life and to highlight that the problem of drug misuse is directly related to prohibition and poverty."

For more information on the hearing, contact Joep Oomen in Europe on 00 32 (0)3 237 7436, Scott White (NAP) on 0429 198 618, or see.

To read this media alert with links

Note for the written press:

The speech that will be delivered at the hearing in the EP by the ENCOD representative is available for publication as an editorial. Please contact us if you are interested.

International Coalition of Non-Government Organisations for Just and Effective Drugs Policy

Network Against Prohibition (Darwin, Australia)
PO Box 701 Parap NT 0804 Australia
Phone: +61 (0) 8 8942 0570 Mobile: +61 (0) 415 16 2525
Email: naphq@bigpond.net.au

By NAPNT 26 April 05

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NAP human rights activists falsely imprisoned

The Home of Democracy? Parliament House, by the shores of Darwin Harbour.

Three members of the Darwin based Network Against Prohibition have been released from Berrimah Prison after they were falsely imprisoned on Monday night.

On the 3rd June 2003, after a sixteen-day hearing in the Darwin Magistrate's Court, the NAP activists were found guilty of 'deliberately disturbing the legislative assembly whilst it was in session'. The activists subpoenaed Chief Minister Clare Martin and other members of parliament who were forced to appear as witnesses at the hearing.

The activists received sentences ranging from fourteen to twenty-one months jail, suspended after five. They were released on bail pending an appeal against conviction and sentence.

In late August/early September, Stuart Highway, Robert Inder-Smith, Gary Meyerhoff and Michael Lambe argued their appeal. Supreme Court Justice David Angel separated the appeal against conviction from the appeal against sentence, which would be held on a later date.

On the 17th of September Justice Angel dismissed the appeal against conviction. On the 4th of October a hearing was held at the Supreme Court.

The NAP activists were not informed about the hearing. Warrants for their arrest were issued. They were not informed that warrants were issued.

Robert, Stuart, and Gary were arrested late on Monday night and taken to the Darwin Watch house where they were refused phone calls or contact with a legal representative.

From there they were taken to the Berrimah Prison to begin five-month sentences for the so-called parliament invasion.

At 6pm today, the trio were released from the prison after Magistrate Greg Cavenagh granted bail.

In a letter to the prison authorities ordering them to release the NAP crew, a staffer from the Department of Justice said 'the appeal was only part heard their bail is still valid.'

NAP activist Gary Meyerhoff said:

"We believe that our arrest was malicious and unlawful. The warrants were issued on the 4th of October and the police didn't act on them until November 1."

"It is only due to the actions of NAP members and our supporters that we have been released from prison so fast."

"On behalf of the three of us I thank everyone who offered resources, support or assistance to the NAP team during this difficult 48 hours." He said.

Hours before the arrests, the Network Against Prohibition released a press statement ridiculing the NT Police drug squad and pointing out the failure of drug prohibition in the NT.

The trio intend to commence civil litigation against the Northern Territory Government.

Meyerhoff said, "The prosecution, Michael Carey and Peter John Thomas, failed to remind Justice Angel that we still had to appeal our sentence," he said.

"They sat silently while warrants were issued for our arrest. Someone must be held accountable for this example of the ongoing harassment and intimidation NAP activists have received from the police state since we started our campaign against draconian drug laws and other human rights abuses two and a half years ago. This is not the first time Peter Thomas has misled the court."

For more information, call Gary on 0415 16 2525 or see the following link: Network Against Prohibition (NAP). 

Australia's federal, state and territory parliaments follow many of the customs and traditions handed down from the British Parliament, which has a history dating back several centuries. In the Northern Territory's Legislative Assembly there are many symbols of these traditions, as well as tangible reminders of the Territory's past.

The Home of Democracy?

Parliament House, by the shores of Darwin Harbour, is the 'home' of the Northern Territory's democratic system of government. In the building's most important room, the Chamber, the twenty-five members of our parliament meet for about thirty-three days each year.

The word 'parliament' comes from the French parliament which means 'speaking', and a great deal of that happens when the members of the parliament come together and affect all our lives by making laws and decisions about how the Territory and its people should be governed.

The official name for our parliament is the Legislative Assembly. The word 'legislative' comes from two Latin words - legis (meaning 'law') and latio ('proposing'). So, 'legislative assembly' literally means a group of people (an assembly) who propose laws. The Home of Our Democracy.

By Gary Meyerhoff and Just Us posted 5 November 04

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