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Back Pompidou Group hosts third International Symposium on drug consumption rooms (DCRs) worldwide

Strasbourg, 03.05.2023 – From 4-5 May, the Council of Europe’s drug policy cooperation forum, the Pompidou Group, in partnership with the City of Strasbourg, the Ithaque Association and the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), is organising the 3^rd International Symposium of Drug Consumption Rooms, at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg.

The symposium – Working together to provide effective solutions – will assess the work worldwide of supervised drug consumption facilities, where illicit drugs can be used under the supervision of trained staff. These facilities primarily aim to reduce the acute risks of disease transmission through unhygienic injecting, prevent drug-related overdose deaths and connect high-risk drug users with addiction treatment and other health and social services.

Following the awareness raising initiative launched in April 2019 with the European symposium held in the European Parliament in Strasbourg (and the success of the 2nd symposium at the Council of Europe in July 2021, which contributed to the discussion of European experiences, providing support for existing low-risk drug consumption rooms in Europe), this event will extend the geographical scope to experiences from other continents and explore new issues such as gender diversity and housing and neighbourhoods, giving a voice to people who sometimes have mixed feelings about living near DCRs.

Jeanne Barseghian, the Mayor of Strasbourg, Christos Giakoumopoulos, the Council of Europe Director General for Human Rights and the Rule of Law, Alexis Goosdeel, Director of the EMCDDA, and Michel Hasselmann, President of Ithaque, will provide opening speeches at the symposium, which will be held at the AGORA building in room G03, but media can watch online or from room G02.

The Minister of State for Public health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy of Ireland, Hildegarde Naughton will make a video intervention.

Webcast links:

Colloque SCMR 2023 (eventmaker.io)

4 May 2023, morning

https://vodmanager.coe.int/coe/webcast/coe/2023-05-04-1/en

LANG

https://vodmanager.coe.int/coe/webcast/coe/2023-05-04-1/lang

Afternoon

https://vodmanager.coe.int/coe/webcast/coe/2023-05-04-2/en

LANG

https://vodmanager.coe.int/coe/webcast/coe/2023-05-04-2/lang

5 May 2023