The “drug problem” is often blamed for youth involvement in crime, violence and antisocial activities in the Caribbean. This briefing shows that this relation is far more complex and often misunderstood.

Welcome to the second edition of the IDPC Drug Policy Guide. The Guide brings together global evidence and examples of best practice to provide guidance on the review, design and implementation of national drug policies.

Recent years have seen a growing unwillingness among increasing numbers of States parties to fully adhere to a strictly prohibitionist reading of the UN drug control conventions. Such behaviour has been driven by a belief that non-punitive and pragmatic health oriented domestic policy approaches…

This briefing paper outlines the international legal drug control obligations, the room for manoeuvre the regime leaves open to national policy makers and the clear limits of latitude that cannot be crossed without violating the treaties.

This briefing provides an overview of the current discussion around threshold quantities and explores the mechanism of threshold quantities including their benefits and drawbacks as a policy and legal tool.

A comparative study on the impact of drug policies on the prison systems of eight Latin American countries reveals that drug laws have contributed to the prison crises these countries are experiencing.

The purpose of this report is to examine and evaluate this mechanism for law reform, without the need for legislative reform, and to consider the specific discussion around sentencing for drug offences which it has led to.

This proceedings document provides the reader with a summary of what happened at the 52nd session of the CND and its High Level Segment and offers an analysis of some of the key discussions and debates.

Political representatives from over 130 countries gathered at a United Nations high level meeting in Vienna on 11th/12th March 2009 to conclude a 2-year long review of progress achieved within the global drug control system.

Antonio Costa, the Executive Director of UNODC gave a speech to the High Level Segment of the 2009 Commission on Narcotic Drugs on the 11th March 2009. The speech drew heavily on a discussion paper published by the UNODC shortly before the meeting - "Organised Crime and Its Threat to Security".

This "Blue Ribbon” Commission presented its findings on February 11, 2009 in its statement, Drugs and Democracy: Toward a Paradigm Shift.

Approximately 50 producers of coca leaves, cannabis and opium poppy from Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa and Asia and more than 20 experts and NGO representatives gathered at this first world forum in Barcelona, Spain from January 29 to 31, 2009 in Barcelona, Spain.

At the end of 2008, about 1,500 persons were released who were in Ecuadorian prisons sentenced for drug trafficking. The measure, known as "pardon for mules,” singled out a specific group of prisoners who were victims of indiscriminate and disproportionate legislation that was in effect for many…

The sixth of the IDPC's regular "UNGASS News" updates, keeping the network up to speed with developments in the UN drug policy review process is now available, and includes a report on the latest round of negotiating meetings preparing for the High Level Segment of the 2009 Commission on Narcotic…

According to the Colombian government, cocaine consumers are unaware of the ecological disaster caused by production of the alkaloid. If they knew that cocaine is perpetrating ecocide in the country they would stop consuming it.

In the new 2008 World Drug Report the UNODC is trying to hide failures behind a bad history lesson.

This is the second edition of UNGASS News, that provides an update on the progress of the United Nations review of the global drug control system.

As the process of reviewing the 10-year achievements of the global drug control system continues, the IDPC has been synthesising the wide range of publications and analysis from its members into brief advocacy notes that summarise our positions on the key issues in this review.

As the process of reviewing the 10-year achievements of the global drug control system continues, the IDPC has been synthesising the wide range of publications and analysis from its members into brief advocacy notes that summarise our positions on the key issues in this review.