Des raisons pour réformer la politique des drogues : la prohibition permet des atteintes systématiques aux droits humains et nuit à la santé publique

Actualités

Des raisons pour réformer la politique des drogues : la prohibition permet des atteintes systématiques aux droits humains et nuit à la santé publique

24 janvier 2017
British Medical Journal

Dainius Pūras, rapporteur spécial de l’ONU sur le droit à la santé, et Julie Hannah, co-directeur du BMJ, affirment que la prohibition porte atteinte au droit à la santé et au droit fondamental à la dignité humaine et qu’il est temps de décriminaliser et d’aller en direction d’une régulation des substances placées sous contrôle.

Pour en savoir plus, en anglais, veuillez lire les informations ci-dessous.

Abonnez-vous à l'Alerte mensuelle de l'IDPC pour recevoir des informations relatives à la politique des drogues.

Drug prohibition, including criminalisation to regulate the supply and demand of controlled substances, has had devastating effects on human rights and public health worldwide.

Prohibition as an international policy response gives rise to illicit drug markets governed by criminal networks and regulated by violence. The poor and marginalised communities in which illicit drugs are cultivated, transited, or sold are disproportionately affected. States have responded with increased law enforcement, escalating violence and further destabilising communities. Parallel violent pursuits both to protect and to topple illicit markets have been linked to large scale displacement, femicide, and an overall decrease in life expectancy, such as in Mexico.

Mass incarceration to enforce prohibition has overburdened criminal justice systems and left countless people languishing in deplorable facilities in inhumane conditions around the world. Criminalisation of possession means that a fifth of people who use drugs spend much of their lives cycling through the criminal justice system, with serious social, economic, and health consequences. In prisons, people who inject drugs have limited or no access to healthcare, including harm reduction interventions such as clean needles and opioid substitution treatment.

Keep up-to-date with drug policy developments by subscribing to the IDPC Monthly Alert.