Non-violent drug users should face no penalty—a call from the Global Commission on Drug Policy

By Ruth Dreifuss, Chair; Pavel Bém, Member

The failures of prohibition—the attempt to eliminate illicit drugs for non-medical purposes through measures such as criminalisation or militarisation—and other repressive drug strategies are well documented. Over the past 50 years, they have been unable to curb either supply or demand at global or local levels. In fact, drug use, production, and trafficking, and concern about the issue among the general public, grow ever higher,1 while prohibition continues to exact a tragic toll on individuals and societies.2 Effective and humane drug policies are needed more urgently than ever.

This urgency can be felt both at the local level, where cities struggle to cope with drug use directly, and at the international level, with growing criticism of an outdated drug control system built on three United Nations conventions.3 Even though these conventions do not specifically insist on harsh punishment for drug use, national interpretation has favoured prohibitive approaches, with many harmful consequences.

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Thumbnail: Global Commission on Drug Policy