Giving international drug policies a chance to turn the tide

By Ruth Dreifuss and Jorge Sampaio, Global Commission on Drug Policy

The debate on alternatives to the 'war on drugs' is gaining unprecedented momentum. It is time to revisit the UN's repressive, one-size-fits-all approach that has prevailed over the past decades, and open up new avenues for international cooperation allowing individual countries and specific regions the freedom to explore drug policies that better suit their needs.

An array of reforms is now blossoming across the world: nearly 100 countries are now supporting the harm reduction approach in policy and/or practice -- including methadone treatment as well as needle and syringe programmes; around 20 countries have adopted some form of decriminalisation of drug possession and use; Uruguay, along with the States of Washington and Colorado in the USA, have become the first jurisdictions in the world to establish legal, regulated cannabis markets.

Against this backdrop, the Global Commission on Drugs Policy is tackling this problem head-on: it has been strongly advocating for the immediate end of the criminalisation of people who use drugs and it has been calling on countries to continue exploring options for health and harm reduction as well as strict legal market regulation for some currently illegal drugs. There is an accumulating body of evidence that supports alternative approaches based on principles of public health, harm reduction, cost-effectiveness and respect for human rights. The UN should recognize that "its role is to assist states as they pursue best practices policies based on science and evidence, not work to counteract them", as a recent Report by the LSE Expert Group pointed out.

To enable concrete reforms to take place at the global level in the near future, the time for action is now. Raising global awareness remains the main challenge ahead as we move on towards the 2016 UN Summit on Drugs. Strong leadership and intensive collaborative action in the international arena toward a paradigm shift in drugs policy is driving change, as well as global advocacy at grass roots level -- such as the "Support. Don't Punish" campaign.

Let's use the upcoming International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, celebrated on June 26, to speak out, call on reforms, push for a new global drug strategy, and speak smart on drugs. Let's help now to turn the tide.

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