On this edition of Century: Drugs and Diplomacy. The United Nations

Commission on Narcotic Drugs held a set of meetings December Fourth

and Fifth, two of which were held in conjunction with the UN\'s

Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. Among the items

being discussed were the recommendation by the World Health

Organization\'s Expert Committee on Drug Dependence to retain coca in

Schedule One, rejecting the rescheduling petition which had been

brought by Colombia and the Plurinational State of Bolivia; and recent

military actions by the United States against alleged drug smuggling

boats in the Pacific and Caribbean that have resulted in the deaths of

several innocent civilians and which the UN\'s Office of the High

Commissioner for Human Rights have described as violations of

international human rights law. For this week on Century of Lies we hear

some of that discussion, including interventions by Marie Nougier,

Head of Research and Communications at the International Drug Policy

Consortium; Hernan Vales, head of the Indigenous Peoples and Minority

Section of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights;

and Her Excellency Claudio Salerno Caldera, Ambassador of the

Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. Plus, Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) on

the floor of the Senate speaking in support of S.3344, the Prohibiting

Unauthorized Military Action in Venezuela Act.

Fri Tribute to ret Dep Chief of LA, Stephen Michael Downing 7

Thu Tribute to ret Dep Chief of LA, Stephen Michael Downing 6

Wed Tribute to ret Dep Chief of LA, Stephen Michael Downing 5

Tue Tribute to ret Dep Chief of LA, Stephen Michael Downing

Guests: Dr. Ethan Russso and Paul Armentano Dep Dir of NORML. Topics include portended federal rescheduling of cannabis, Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, need for continuing activism due to multi state meddling with cannabis laws.

Mon Tribute to ret Dep Chief of LA, Stephen Michael Downing 3

Sun Tribute to ret Dep Chief of LA, Stephen Michael Downing 2

Sat Tribute to ret Dep Chief of LA, Stephen Michael Downing

On this edition of Century: Housing First. People who use drugs face

persistent barriers to housing, decent work, healthcare and safety.

Reintegration and rehabilitation programs are usually tied to

abstinence so they exclude people who aren\'t yet ready or don\'t want

to stop using drugs. Yet the evidence shows that inclusion increases

options for people to gain control over their lives, and it\'s most

effective when it is low-threshold, rights-based, and built on harm

reduction, peer involvement, and practical supports. Cities and

nonprofits around the globe are demonstrating what this looks like in

practice. The European Union Drugs Agency held a webinar December 3rd

to explore and discuss housing first and employment first strategies.

On this week\'s show we hear presentations by two of the panelists on

that webinar: Cristiana Merendeiro, a neuropsychologist and Project

Manager at CRESCER, and Lewis Boddy, Senior Development Officer,

Employability, with the Scottish Drugs Forum.