Memorandum in the context of Lisbon Addictions 2024
As an outcome of the high-level roundtable on the margins of Lisbon Addictions 2024, the participating experts, in cooperation with the Institute for Rational Addiction Policies (IRAP), published the memorandum. The memorandum focuses on the future of addiction policies in the EU and calls on EU and national policymakers to work together to regulate addictive substances based on scientific evidence and Member States’ best practices.
Lisbon, October 25, 2024 - On 23-25 October 2024, the European Union Drug Agency (EUDA), formerly known as the EMCDDA, organized the 2024 edition of its biannual European Conference on Addictive Behaviours and Dependencies, commonly known as ‘Lisbon Addictions’
To shed the light at the addiction challenges faced at the EU Member States level and propose effective solutions, addiction experts gathered for Lisbon Addictions 2024 held a high-level roundtable event on 22 October 2024, hosted by the Institute for Rational Addiction Policies (IRAP). Leading experts including Jindřich Vobořil (IRAP Chairman and former Czech National Drug Coordinator); Viktor Mravčík (IRAP Head of Science and Alternate Member of the Management Board of EUDA); Judy Chang (Executive Director of International Network of People who Use Drugs); together with economists and former Members of the European Parliament shared their research and discussed effective policy approaches.
The setting of this event is unique, as policymakers typically do not participate in Lisbon Addictions, which remains a science-focused conference gathering public health experts. IRAP believes that bringing science and policymakers together is the only way towards developing evidence-based addiction policies at the EU level. Failure to continuously provide up-to-date information to policymakers is the reason why the current EU approach to substance use disorders seems to rely on obsolete data and ideological stances.
As an outcome of the high-level roundtable on the margins of Lisbon Addictions 2024, the participating experts, in cooperation with the Institute for Rational Addiction Policies (IRAP), published the Memorandum. The document focuses on the future of addiction policies in the European Union and calls on EU and national policymakers to work together to regulate addictive substances based on scientific evidence and Member States’ best practices.
Read the full memorandum.
