2026

Press release

Vienna, March 5th 2026

ENCOD at the #CND69

ENCOD’s delegation to CND69 in Vienna from Monday 9th to 13th will be huge. 

With 31 members, we hope to show that our community is concerned and that we need to meet policymakers to achieve changes.

CND69 challenges

The 69th session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, from March 9th to 13th, will address a variety of challenges: With the “Vienna Consensus” no longer in place because the United States is demanding a vote on every resolution that mentions “gender issues” and the United Nations’ “Sustainable Development Goals,” the debates are sure to be heated.

The first two resolutions will attract particular attention as they deal with the same issue, although the first, proposed by Mexico, is much more serious in content, while the second, presented by the United States, appears much more problematic in its wording and objectives.

The third resolution concerns “alternative development” and follows on from previous resolutions adopted at each session. However, even on this one, the US will call for a vote.

The fourth is presented by Kyrgyzstan (perhaps supported behind the scenes by Russia) and seems to complement the first resolution and counter the second with its seriousness. 

The fifth resolution, presented by Finland and Norway, is very ambitious and the most interesting from the point of view of civil society organisations. 

It is clear that, as last year, the Committee of the Whole (CoW) will have to conduct lengthy negotiations to finalise the content of the five resolutions submitted for vote at the 69th session of the CND, votes in the Plenary that promise moments of “epic fury” in the UN buildings in Vienna (where the IAEA for nuclear energy and the UNODC for drug control are based).

Among other topics addressed at this 69th session of the CND, the WHO recommendation on coca leaf will not be voted on, as it does not provide for any change in the scheduling of coca leaf, as ENCOD already indicated in its statement at the 48th ECDD (WHO Experts Committee on Drug Dependance) briefing. It will nevertheless be interesting to follow the discussions between Member States during the Plenary closely. We’ll pay attention to the Colombian exhibition in the Rotunda, the heart of the VIC. 

With a busy agenda, including a side event every day, two demonstrations (on Monday and Thursday) at the entrance to the VIC, the Première of a European tour of the exhibition,   https://frenchdutchparadox.org/, and numerous other interventions, both with oral statements in the Plenary and by asking questions during informal dialogue with representatives of UN agencies meetings… Encod attempts to keep its strong commitments at the highest level.

Civil Society Delegation

ENCOD delegation will be more than 30 people, and more than 15 countries, representing: Associacao de Apoio a Pesquisa e Pacientes de Cannabis medicinal (ACURA), Cannabis Cura Sicilia, Cannabis Embassy, Cannabis Sans Frontières, Cannabis sem Fronteiras, DRCnet Foundtion, For Alternative Approaches to Addictions Think&Do tank – Forum Drogues Mediterranée (FAAAT-FDM), Fields of Green For All, Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP), Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic studies (MAPS), Nonviolent Radical Party, Santo Amor – World Movement for Cannabis Freedom Club, Verbond voor Opheffing van het Cannabisverbod (VOC), Veteran Action Council (VAC). 

DEMONSTRATIONS

Monday, 9 March 2026, from 7:30 to 10:00.
Advertisement of ENCOD’s activities related to CND69th.

Thursday, 12 March 2026, from 7:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. It will consist of an exhibition wall with a small display case with artefacts and a decorative birdcage with a clone, symbolising the long struggle for Freedom to Farm.

EXHIBITION 

Pragmatism vs punishment: which is more effective? 

After 50 years, the remarkable paradox between two founding members of the EU serves as a striking empirical record of successful, pragmatic strategies versus failed, rigid policies.

Following its Vienna debut, the exhibition will travel around Europe in seven countries and nine cities – Bilbao, Berlin, Paris, Brussels, Prague, Amsterdam, The Hague and Eindhoven.

Visit: https://frenchdutchparadox.org/

SIDE EVENTS (slight program of the week at the UN)

Tuesday, March 10th – 10 am to 11 am, (MOE05) 

Multiple Celebrations of Civil Society Achievements in Drug Policy

Follow online : https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81897668686

Wednesday March 11th – 3 pm to 4 pm, (MOE100)

Old Habits Die Hard: Policing Post-Prohibition Cannabis in South Africa

Thursday, March 12th – 11:30 am to 12:30 pm (MOE05)

War on Drugs and Systemic Corruption : Unintended Consequences

Friday, March 13th, 11:30 am to 12:30 pm (M5)

CBD-Rich Cannabis – Policy and Patient Experience Hybrid 

PRESS RELEASED ENCOD AT CND69_VF

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