Despite significant enduring challenges, Thailand's criminal justice reforms offer promise in a region marked by highly punitive responses to drug use and related activities.
Through presentations, debate and exercises, judges familiarised themselves with new law and suggested additions to the guidelines to reduce uncertainty in the implementation.
Governments and UN entities must take up their “historical responsibility” and reform drug policies ensuring that human rights are front and centre. At this juncture, with the drug war’s harms laid bare, anything less would be unconscionable.
The question of ‘when change is going to finally happen’ will continue to be a difficult one. But we can confidently say that thanks to Support. Don't Punish campaigners' shared and steadfast commitment, it is much closer than it was 10 years ago.
The Mexican Supreme Court's decision troubles its previously-stated position on the unconstitutionality of the absolute prohibition of the personal use of cannabis.
Tensions flared between CND Member States as Russia and Latvia clashed over leadership of financial and governance working group overseeing UNODC's work.
Recent policy developments suggest an acknowledgement of the need to pare down the harmful impacts of punitive drug policies, but fall short from embracing international standards.
Ghana's model of depenalisation means that police officers will retain enforcement powers, but responses will hinge on administrative penalties and diversion.
Fighting the imperialist 'war on drugs' must be part of a much broader struggle to dismantle the multiple overlapping systems of oppression that have sought to despoil and disappear Indigenous communities worldwide.
Communities already experiencing intersecting forms of marginalisation should be given special attention as the COVID-19 response continues to be rolled out.
As long as UNODC continues to carefully and deliberately hold back from mentioning the harmful impact of states’ own drug policies, we cannot trust the agency to communicate all the facts.
