Mixed thoughts about the INCB's latest report http://www.tni.org/article/mixed-thoughts-about-incbs-latest-report

The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) just released its annual report. Martin Jelsma - who has followed the Board's policy for many years now with a critical eye - examines its negative stance towards harm reduction and decriminalization, and questions the Board's tendency to overstep its mandate.

This year the INCB highlights the theme of ‘drugs and corruption’ and no doubt most of the media coverage will follow their choice. I’ve decided to not comment on the contents of that chapter mainly because it just raises again my longstanding doubts about the role and mandate of the INCB within the UN drug control system. To be frank, I’m not really that interested what they think about corruption, I don’t consider them to be experts on the matter and I truly wonder who does. There are other UN agencies that have addressed the issue of corruption with more authority, including the UNODC, UNDP and the Worldbank, and there is a special UN Convention against Corruption that entered into force in December 2005 with regular conferences to discuss its implementation.