French National AIDS Council calls for drug law reforms

On 6th April 2011, the French National AIDS Council (CNS) released a report on the impacts of drugs laws on infectious diseases. They report that harm reduction policies have managed to vastly reduce HIV infections among people who use drug in France, yet several serious problems remain, including a high prevalence of hepatitis and serious social and sanitary problems among many people who use drugs.

The CNS regrets that the main focus of the French government in recent years has been to arrest and prosecute drug users (on the basis of the 1970 French laws on drugs), a costly effort which has failed to reduce consumption of illicit substances. They call instead for the development of harm-reduction programs, notably towards people who are most socially excluded, women, and prisoners. They conclude by inviting French law makers to revise French drug laws.

The CNS report is available in PDF below (in French).