The divergence between the Commission’s progressing stance on legal regulation and Trump’s Global Call to Action reminds us of the many obstacles facing drug policy reform. But it is also a promising reminder of the waning hegemony of the war on drugs rhetoric.
Far from an effort at achieving mutual understanding and genuine consensus on drug policy, the "Global Call to Action" is yet another instance of heavy-handed U.S. “with us or against us” diplomacy.
A side event at the Commission on Narcotic Drugs brought together experts to discuss how drug policy outcomes are measured, with the Sustainable Development Goals discussed as a potential mechanism of evaluation.
There is still a long way to go. But what is clear though is that the combined efforts from academia, policy circles, and the involvement of the grassroots in the development of solutions can pave the way for more systematic responses to the tough questions on illicit economies.
It remains to be seen how debates over cannabis develop and whether the meetings between the INCB and its civil society interlocutors grow into real processes of dialogue. But this is certainly a step in the right direction for the Board.
Adapting the UN drug control system to modern realities is long overdue, and if the Board wants to protect the useful elements of the current system, the only option is to facilitate change, through honest discussion and valid guidance.
