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Significant reductions in drug consumption levels are possible through concerted action. That is the message given by the Mayor of Reykjavik, Dagur B Eggertsson, the director of Icelandic Centre for Social Research, Jon Sigfusson and the secretary general of ECAD, Erik Leijonmarck who met in ECAD city of Bucharest last week to celebrate 10 years anniversary of the prevention program Youth in Europe. 
Jon Sigfusson director YiE, Dagur B Eggertsson Mayor of Reykjavik, Georgiana Pogonaru Honorary Counsul, Ben Oni Ardelan Senator, Cosmina Simiean Nicolescu, Bucharest Municipality
"Back in 1998 the situation of adolescent substance use on Iceland was terrible. Substance use among adolescent was the highest in Europe based on ESPAD data. We were losing the kids and their families. The city of Reykjavik and the Icelandic government felt they needed to do something. Now substance use is the lowest in Europe” says the director of Icelandic Center for Research and Analysis and Youth in Europe, Jon Sigfusson 
How has that come about?
It has been a systematic approach and commitment to prevention by the whole society. But it’s not just about the drugs it is about healing the society. Change the society and the behavior of children will follow. We needed to strengthen the preventive factors for children and eliminate the risk factors. It is as hard, yet simple as that.
What did you do?
Dagur B Eggertsson, mayor of Reykjavik explains that in 1994 the city entered into ECAD and Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir entered as the first woman-mayor of Reyjavik. Reykjavik launched a five year drug prevention programme Drug free Iceland 1997-2002 in cooperation with the Icelandic Government and ECAD. Up till that point nothing they did in prevention was really working. In 2003 the positive changes were already evident and we decided to keep on. Since then, the numbers just keep on dropping.
The methodology expands to European Countries
In 2005 the work on Iceland was decided to be expanded to other European countries. The methodology is now being transferred to other cities in Europe and is reducing levels of substance use across the European continent. We are already seeing changes in European cities which have adopted the methodology, Jon Sigfusson says. Jon emphasizes that he wants others to steal his work and continue to work systematically to reduce levels of substance use and improve overall health of youngsters in Europe.
Dr Adrian Sarbu from the city of Bucharest explains that Bucharest is utilizing the data from Youth in Europe not only to reduce substance use levels but also to bring down levels of suicides in the city. 
Presentation by Dagur Eggertsson
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Youth in Europe - Icelandic primary prevention programme celebrates 10 years` Anniversary in Bucharest on the 22nd of September.
ECAD has been closely cooperating within the Youth in Europe programme since 2006, we introduced the concept to many cities and the programme has been running successfully for 10 years.
ECAD Secretary General Erik Leijonmarck will be moderating the event at the Romanian Parliament in Bucharest, Strada Izvor 2-4.
Please register before September 19.
Contact Youth in Europe Programme Manager Jon Sigfusson for further questions: www.youthineurope.org
Conference language is ENGLISH
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ECAD member, the city of Gävle, hosts Swedish National Fair "Sverige mot narkotika" this week, September 7-8. The Fair is a platform for taking an offensive stance against the use of drugs among Swedish policy makers, NGOs and the public. ECAD is one of the organizers, together with the city of Gävle and 18 other NGOs - proponents of sober and drug-free lifestyle.This event gathers lots of key drug policy officials in Sweden and some prominenet guests coming from abroad, journalists and public are welcome to join at the Open Scene for free.
This year`s Fair circle around Swedish and Norwegian drug policy specifics. We will also talk in English about Effective Community-based prevention when Sue Thau, public Policy Consultant at Community Anti Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA), USA arrives to Gävle these days.
Welcome to visit ECAD website in Swedish here
"Sverige mot narkotika" Programme in Swedish (PDF)
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Picture: EMCDDA
98 new synthetic cannabinoids came to surface and were registered in 2015. European monitoring agency for drugs and drug addiction (EMCDDA) sees no decline in the availability of new drugs on the internet market.
A growing number of NPS in Europe puts a significant pressure on the capacities of the forensic laboratories in the countries affected. Synthetic cannabinoids and opioids are also considered to be more toxic, having caused mass poisonings and deaths.
In addition to that, NPS – producers target a rather vulnerable sector of non-controlled synthetic opioids, fentanyls and suchlike, raising concerns on the medicines diverted from therapeutic providers and synthetic opioid products used for substitution treatment in some countries, according to the European Drug Report 2016.
ECAD is organizing the 3rd project conference Synthetic opioids and cannabinoids – a growing challenge for the region on Thursday, November 3. The conference will be angling Swedish specifics in the field of synthetic opioids. The plan is also to look closer at Latvian and Estonian drug markets in regards to synthetic opioids and to finalize our project findings.
Download the details in our Conference Announcement here (PDF).
To register for the Conference, you need to fill in and send back the Booking form (Word) to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. before October 28.
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ECAD have been involved in the Triple R project work this summer. On Monday of June 27, all Triple R project organizations came together in San Patrignano Recovery Community for 4 days, after past meetings around Europe, for the conclusion of the first phase of the project work.
"After discussions on the merits of the project we focused on the writing of three "R-manuals", - explains Sara Carrena, the project coordinator. "A handbook on Rehabilitation will be compiled in close cooperation by all project partners, another project book will focus on Reintegration and the third handbook will be on alternative measures to incarceration. In addition to this, we will be making a video on the involved recovery organization work, all aimed at promoting the best practices in recovery. At a later date we will complete a feasibility study in the hopes of opening a new pilot project in Croatia".
8 communities and organizations took part in the working group: Dianova (Spain), Popov GGZ (Belgium), ECAD (Sweden), Basta (Sweden), Stjerna (Croatia), Udruga Institut Pula (Croatia), Udruga San Patrignano Association Parents Split (Croatia)and Ceis in Rome.
Subcategories
The ECAD Mayors' Conference
25th MAYORS´ CONFERENCE
and 6th World Forum Against Drugs 
Conference materials
Kevin Sabet, PhD, Director, Drug Policy Institute, University of Florida, President, Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), USA
Speech at the WFAD /ECAD 25th Mayors Conference, Gothenburg, May 15, 2018 (Video 5min.)
Supply reduction in Peril? A lot of the worlds`s drug supply emanates from a war-torn Columbia.
Dr. Michael Jonsson, FOI, Swedish Defence Research Agency
Text to the slides (PDF)
In Columbia, a peace deal has been struck, which gives hope for a closure of insurgency and violence. (PDF)
Thomas Pietschmann, Dr, Drug Research Section, Division for Policy Analysis and Public Affairs
The International drug control system, global/regional and national drug patterns and trends, and supply reduction efforts at the international level (PDF)
Photo: Götaplatsen @ Klas Eriksson
Annual Mayors` Conference and the 6th World Forum Against Drugs will take off on May 14-15 in Gothenburg this year.
This joint event will address a growing interest to the effective prevention practices, full recovery and alternatives to incarceration and to life-long dependency on drug treatment.
The conference will create a room for elaborating a practical guide to how a recovery city will look like, this will be grounded on the recent evidence-based research. Sheffield Hallam University (UK), Ghent University (Belgium) and the City of Gothenburg have already started working on this guide in practice.
In order to find out more and to register please visit a joint webpage here.
MAYORS` CONFERENCE 2017
ECAD 24th Mayors` Conference materials
On June 12-13, the city of Kaunas hosted ECAD 24th Annual Mayors`s Conference 2017
Safe Cities Without Drugs. Preventing, Protecting, Policing
Key-note speakers:
David W. Spencer, Field intelligence Manager, Drug Enforcement Agency, European Region
Supply reduction and dismantling drug trafficking organizations: In what ways can local communities benefit (PDF)
Kim Nilvall, Swedish National Bureau of Investigation, Intelligence section, Organized crime
Police work in socially disadvantaged areas in Sweden: Impact of drugs on urban crime (PDF)
Torsten Stodiek, Deputy Head, Strategic Police Matters Unit, Community Policing Advisor, Transnational Threats Department, OSCE
Preventing terrorism and countering violent extremism and radicalisation that lead to terrorism:
A community and intelligence led policing approach (PDF)
Jon Sigfusson, Director for Icelandic Centre of Social Research and Analysis, Reykjavik University, ICSRA
Youth in Europe and Planet Youth (PDF)
Laimonas Vasiliauskas, Senior Specialist, Serious and Organized Crime Department, EUROPOL
European Illicit Drug Market (PDF)
Antonio Boscini, Health Director, San Patrignano Community, Rimini, Italy
Recovery and social reinsertion: San Patrignano Community model extended (PDF)
CONFERENCE PROGRAMME (PDF)
FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT (PDF)
Conference Booking Form
Kaunas Castle
Picture: @Rokas Tenys
Warm welcome to Kaunas, Lithuania!