Pubdate: Wed, 17 Aug 2005 Source: Vancouver Courier (CN BC) Copyright: 2005 Vancouver Courier Contact: http://www.vancourier.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/474 Author: Naoibh O'Connor, Staff writer Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/hr.htm (Harm Reduction) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?131 (Heroin Maintenance) OWEN OFF TO AFGHANISTAN When former mayor Philip Owen was pushing drug policy reform in this city, he likely never thought he'd need kidnapping and ransom insurance to spread the message across the globe. But three years after leaving municipal politics, Owen and wife Brita are preparing for a trip to Afghanistan where he's been invited to participate in the Kabul International Symposium on Global Drug Policy in late September. It's organized by the Senlis Council, a European-based drug policy think tank formed in 2002. Foreign Affairs Canada advises against all travel to Afghanistan, describing the threat to Canadians as high. The department's travel report indicates "the security situation remains extremely volatile and unpredictable," and cites a number of attacks against the United Nations and other non-governmental organizations, including the murder of three people in a suicide bombing of an Internet cafe and kidnapping attempts in Kabul in May 2005, as well as the murder of a British citizen and the destruction of a Canadian embassy vehicle by a bomb in Kabul in March of this year. Owen, however, is determined to share Vancouver's experience with its approach to drug enforcement, including information about the supervised injection site and prescribed heroin trials. "I'm so enthusiastic about Vancouver's Framework for Action four-pillars approach. What we've done here is just on the cutting edge and Vancouver is recognized as a leading city in the world in just a few years," he said. "We've been very successful and nobody's got a better way of approaching this problem." Security is a concern. Owen was told foreigners must be careful, although Kabul is seen as the safest part of the country. He's also talked to individuals, who either live in Kabul or have relatives there, about safety. Owen and his wife will fly from Dubai to Kabul in a United Nations plane that makes the trip four times a week. The couple, who are trying to finalize kidnap, ransom and evacuation insurance coverage, will be met by security officers hired by the Senlis Council. "It's a little unnerving," he conceded Monday. "But that's just the way this part of the world operates. I guess we're going because it's fascinating to hear about this [subject]. This is a new international trend that's going on and it's very significant." Special shots, vaccines and a visa are required to travel to Afghanistan and Owen has $5 million in health insurance from Lloyd's, which he's actually had for years. He's comfortable with the security measures being taken. "I mean you don't go out and shop in Kabul [alone]... Apparently, if you feel confined to the university or hotel or wherever you are, they may drive you to a shop, but you're in and out for 10 or 15 minutes. You keep moving around." At the conference, Owen is scheduled to appear on a panel and will moderate a workshop. Other Canadian participants include Dr. Benedikt Fischer from the University of Toronto's Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, and Senator Pierre-Claude Nolin, chair of an upper chamber committee which recommended three years ago that marijuana be legalized and that substance abuse problems be considered a public health problem rather than a criminal matter. A project being highlighted at the conference is a feasibility study on opium licensing in Afghanistan for production of morphine and other essential medicines. Results of the study will be announced at the symposium. The country's illicit opium industry, controlled by warlords and criminals, has grown dramatically over the past few years. Supporters of the study believe licensing opium production will benefit both the government and farmers. "The downside is the warlords in Afghanistan aren't going to like this very much, but if you get the academics, the thinkers, the universities and the central government supporting this, with the farmers being a part of a market product, then you're going to solve all sorts of problems," Owen said. Owen spends much of his time attending conferences focused on drug policy reform in this country and abroad. "I didn't expect to be this busy [after leaving office]. I've been doing it on my own and it's pretty expensive doing this because I'm not funded by the government, but they know what I'm doing," he said. "More and more countries are coming into the fold to say prohibition doesn't work. Reform is the only way to go." - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom