PROJECT KONOPLJA.ORG

1. ABOUT THE PROJECT

Project Konoplja.org consists of various informative and educational programmes which provide information about cannabis, hemp and other drugs. The general Slovene public still seems to be lacking reliable information on these subjects. Since we are living in a period of broken taboos, the individual's access to information and general awareness are of utmost importance. The main aim of our project is to provide trustworthy data about cannabis, describe its qualities, as well as enlighten additional factors connected with it. We have decided to use pro et contra approach.

We believe ignorance can be extremely harmful to our public and our contemporary society nowadays has a very low tolerance of unawareness. We therefore decided to provide everyone with easy, accessible information on the subject, since in the past many people were not aware this information could be obtained at all. Nevertheless we must understand that general negligence and ignorance of facts only aggravate this constantly growing problem of drug use in our society.

However, the time has come we face the truth- we have to accept drugs are present in our society and that our denial is not going to not solve any problems. Every individual has a choice and our mission is to clarify and enlighten this complex situation. By providing sufficient and useful information we believe we can, to some extent, influence public's reaction to the word "drug", which is sometimes perceived too broadly and is inadequately defined. Consequently, the main objective of our project is setting the record straight about drugs, define basic differences among them, while putting stress on cannabis, the oldest and most widely used drug in the history of mankind.

2. DESCRITPION OF THE PROJECT

2.1. Our vision

The basic aim of our organisation is collecting, organising and providing credible information to everyone interested in cannabis, either as a drug or medicine, and hemp, which is widely used in different sectors of industry, such as cosmetic, building, textile, paper and food industry. At the same time, our team is actively involved in cooperating with other non-governmental and governmental organisations and, in addition, we also organise various workshops, seminars and public debates. We wish to grow as an educational and apolitical non-governmental organisation dealing with drug use and abuse, as well as provide helpful and reliable information in the sphere of agriculture, health-care and industry. The quality of our work can be seen through organisation’s neutral and thorough approach to the previously mentioned topics. Our work is mostly independent and we strive to achieve our goals, but at the same time we expect support and cooperation from government and local communities.

2.2. Current situation

This project was brought to light mainly due to lack of accessible information on the previously mentioned subject. Relevant information can be obtained from various research results, which are usually inaccessible to general public or they tend to be too elaborate, or from newspaper articles; however, these are often prejudicial and narrow-minded. Certain amount of data is also provided by the Ministry for Home Affairs, but they treat the issue one-sidedly, from the aspect of law.

Lack of information and inadequate facts can result in false and inappropriate perception of the above presented issue, which provided suitable ground for starting off our project.

Drug problem in Slovenia has lately reached a critical point and this situation can be compared to similar circumstances in Western Europe during the last decade. Drug abuse in Slovenia is rapidly increasing, whereas the amount of information and the level of public awareness have remained unchanged.

The generation gap in Slovenia is widening due to strong public belief which perceives the youth as lazy, uninterested and aimless, and this is often the reason why the young, mainly out of rebellion and in search of their own identity, reach for drugs. However, at this point, we do not intend to unjustly stigmatise or generalise young generations in Slovenia. We are basically trying to reach those who are aware that drugs are an integral part of contemporary society and who do not regard them as being apocalyptic to the mankind. Changes in the modern society have brought about new lifestyles, one of them being the growing popularity of electronic dance music events (rave parties). These events provide a suitable environment for experimenting with legal and illegal drugs. Unfortunately, the use of these substances is increasing and many still believe they are crucial for having a good time.

2.3. Project aims

In the last decade many local, regional and state governments from different countries' have responded to the problem of drug abuse with various initiatives, based on the idea of harm reduction. Rather than focusing their attention exclusively on the goal - life without drugs- the countries decided to use different approach, aimed at reducing the harm, which is a consequence of continuous drug abuse and countries politics of drug control. This approach proved to be more beneficial for individuals as well as for the countries. Harm-reduction policy or programme is focused on reduction of various medical, social or economic consequences of drug use and abuse according to society and an individual user. We conclude that sensible drug policy has an immense impact on society as a whole. Some individuals are still bound to use drugs despite the existing legislation.

In our organisation we believe that the current drug policy is not successful at harm reduction, instead it creates new problems such as:
• disregarding efficient education about drugs and obstructing drug users of the access to relevant information on least harmful drug use
• creating medical risk for drug users and their families
• encouraging younger generations to use drugs by creating a daring and interesting picture of a drug user
• growing levels of crime; addicted drug users have to pay large sums of money to buy overpriced stuff on the black market
• obstructing hemp production for commercial purposes and denying economic and ecological benefits that could be gained from that

If we compare the results of different studies about the efficiency of various government policies towards the drug problem, for instance Holland and the USA, we notice that Holland’s programme of harm reduction is far more successful than American model of repression. Although the use of cannabis has increased among the Dutch teenagers, the number of recreational cannabis users remained much lower than in the States. (Dekleva B., Grund C. J.- P., Nolima D.: "Harm Reduction Paradigm as Drug Policy", Mreža drog Magazin, year V/1997, Number 2-4, p. 164- 187)

The 1998 research "Popularity and Characteristics of Drug Use among Highschool Students in Celje Region" (Razširjenost in značilnost uporabe drog med srednješolci celjske regije) showed that 22.8 per cent of students in question have already smoked cannabis or its products. This makes up for nearly a quarter of all highschool population who need to be educated about cannabis and its effects, dangers and safe use (Eržen I. 1998- Celje Region; ZZV Celje).

Other studies carried out throughout Slovenia between 1995-1998, dealing with the use of cannabis as a drug, revealed similar results as indicated earlier (Stergar 1995 – Ljubljana, Dekleva B. 1998 – Ljubljana). The results of a telephone survey on dangers and harmful use of drugs, carried out by the newspaper Delo, placed cannabis right after alcohol and tobacco, according to its bad effects and accessibility to students. The survey also showed that 4 per cent of parents believed the best way to prevent drug abuse and its harmful consequences is providing students with adequate information. (Delo, Aug. 28, 2000; supplement Šolstvo: “Greater Emphasis Put on Marijuana than on Alcohol”)

Regarding the fact there are still deeply rooted methods based on false beliefs that the drug problem can be fixed, cured or simply outrooted, we have chosen to use harm reduction approach, which is gaining more and more recognition worldwide. This method was chosen due to its multiplicity, as it accepts the fact that drugs have been present in all societies throughout history and cannot be completely eradicated. Nevertheless, use of drugs is a matter of personal decision and every individual has the right to choose his own path in life.

Accessibility of information on drugs, their effects and consequences gives every individual the opportunity to form his own opinion and draw conclusions about positive and negative effects of drug use. Consequently, our main aim is to enable access to credible, thorough and reliable information on different drugs, highlighting the use of cannabis.

More: Info@konoplja.org