A medida que la política de drogas de la ASEAN entra en transición, ¿dónde quedará Filipinas

Las políticas punitivas de drogas en la ASEAN no han logrado los objetivos de un “mundo libre de drogas”, mientras que la reducción de daños ofrece una alternativa pragmática y basada en los derechos que ya muestra resultados en la región — aunque torpedeada por la postura intransigente de Singapur. Más información, en inglés, está disponible abajo.

The current punitive, prohibitionist drug policies implemented in ASEAN countries have not achieved their ‘drug-free’ goals nor achieved any substantial progress in reducing supply and preventing drug-related harms

The dominant punitive approach to drug use is proving inadequate. There is limited evidence of its effectiveness despite its long history of being implemented. It can also be argued that these policies have been set for failure from the start due to having unrealistic policy goals, such as achieving “drug-free” societies and the enforcement of abstinence-only models.

With this approach, people whose lives include drugs (the majority of them coming from low-income households) are falling through the cracks in the current system. This highlights the need to shift drug policies towards approaches that are centered more on human rights and health, including harm reduction.