It was with great sadness that the EMCDDA learned this week of the death of Father Vítor Feytor Pinto.
The first Chair of the EMCDDA Management Board — a position he held between 1994 and 1997 — Father Feytor Pinto made a fundamental contribution to the creation of the agency and its early operational activities.
As High Commissioner for Projecto VIDA (Project LIFE) and Drug coordinator of Portugal, Father Feytor Pinto also promoted the establishment of Observatório VIDA, the first Portuguese national focal point of the Reitox network. Here he dedicated his efforts to the smooth functioning of the focal point and a national network of data and information sources.
In the late 1980s, Father Feytor Pinto was among the pioneers of a new approach to the drugs problem, both in Portugal and Europe, promoting awareness among policymakers of the importance of knowledge over dogma and ideology. He also highlighted the relevance of the health aspects of the drugs problem in an area hitherto dominated by a security perspective and control of supply.
The Director of the EMCDDA and his staff acknowledge, and express their gratitude for, the role played by Father Vítor Feytor Pinto in the life of the agency, and send their heartfelt condolences to his family.
