COIN was born out of the HIV epidemic in the Dominican Republic, and since then, we have concentrated our efforts in implementing educative and prevention programmes and healthcare provision, fighting against social discrimination against vulnerable groups, as well as empowerment of marginalised communities.

El Centro de Orientación e Investigación Integral (COIN) es una institución privada, de interés social de la República Dominicana, creada el 28 de noviembre de 1988 por un equipo multidisciplinario de personas con experiencia compartida en trabajos comunitarios y de salud. El COIN obtuvo el beneficio de la incorporación legal a través del Decreto No. 63-89 emitido por el Poder Ejecutivo el 20 de febrero de 1989. Nacemos a raíz del surgimiento de la epidemia del VIH/SIDA, en la República Dominicana, y desde ese entonces, el COIN ha concentrado sus esfuerzos en implementar programas educativos de prevención y atención en salud, enfrentar la discriminación social a la cual están sometidos los grupos marginados por la sociedad, como una forma de implementar estrategias de abordajes novedosas, efectivas con estos grupos, y a su vez contribuir con el empoderamientos de los mismos. Desde sus inicios, para el abordaje con las poblaciones marginadas, el COIN, promueve la integración de la comunidad en los procesos de identificación de sus necesidades y problemáticas y con ellos se definen las políticas de trabajo y su ejecución.

COIN a été créé pour répondre à l'épidémie du VIH en République Dominicaine. Depuis, nous avons concentré nos efforts dans la mise en oeuvre de programmes de prévention et d'éducation et de réduction des risques, et dans le combat contre la discrimination sociale des groupes vulnérables et marginalisés.

Centro de Orientación e Investigación Integral (COIN)

To: Ms Ghada Waly, Executive Director, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

Subject: Open letter on UNODC statement on International Human Rights Day 2021

We urge you to mark International Human Rights Day 2021 by calling on Member States to change drug policies and practices that violate human rights and perpetuate inequality and discrimination.

We are writing to you ahead of International Human Rights Day 2021, which will take place on the 10th December amidst escalating global demands for the reform of laws and practices that entrench racial discrimination and social inequality, including drug policies. Last year, IDPC – together with dozens of other civil society and community organisations – called on you to issue a statement on International Human Rights Day urging Member States to change drug laws and practices that undermine health and human rights. A year later, we ask you to seize this day as an opportunity to show UNODC´s alignment with other UN entities in calling for an end to drug policies and practices that perpetuate inequality and discrimination, and violate human rights.

For decades, punitive drug policies have driven widespread human rights abuses, as has been amply documented by the UN. These include the death penalty for drug offences; extrajudicial killings; arbitrary detention, often masquerading as ‘rehabilitation’; the denial of access to life-saving harm reduction services; widespread barriers to accessing controlled medicines for pain relief; the criminalisation of people who use drugs, subsistence farmers and others groups in situations of vulnerability; corporal punishment; and mass incarceration. In all of these cases, draconian drug policies have disproportionately affected people marginalised on the basis of their gender, race, ethnicity, and economic status, thus entrenching inequality and discrimination.

Along 2021, a broad range of UN entities called on Member States to reform drug policies with discriminatory outcomes. In June 2021, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention released a landmark study on arbitrary detention and drug polices, which found that ´

the war on drugs may be understood to a significant extent as a war on people. Its impact is often greatest on those who are poor, but also frequently overlaps with discrimination in law enforcement directed at vulnerable groups

´. At the same time, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights published a new ‘Agenda towards transformative change for racial justice and equality´, highlighting that ´

The discriminatory application of criminal law must be tackled at every stage, including by reforming drug-related policies

´. The High Commissioner´s proposal led to Human Rights Council Resolution 47/21, which contains key commitments to uproot systemic racism in the law enforcement and criminal justice systems. The Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS, adopted in June 2021, also showcased the international community´s commitment to ending inequalities as a step towards ending AIDS. Lastly, the new UN system Common Position on Incarceration, led by UNODC in partnership with other UN entities, notes ‘

the overrepresentation of minority and marginalized groups among prisoners, many of whom are charged with petty and nonviolent offences

support reform efforts aimed at ensuring proportionate and individualized sentencing and alternatives to conviction or punishment in appropriate cases, including for minor drug-related offences

These various commitments emerging across the United Nations are aligned with the 2018 Chief Executives Board’s UN System Common Position on drug-related matters, which makes clear that ‘

should be designed and implemented by States in accordance with their human rights obligations

’, and commits all UN agencies, including UNODC, to support drug policies ‘

that put people, health, and human rights at the centre

Similar human rights concerns have been highlighted in the just-released Global Drug Policy Index, which measures and ranks the national drug policies of 30 countries according to how well they align with the UN system Common Position on Drugs and its Task Team report of March 2019.

The theme of the 2021 International Human Rights Day is ‘Equality: Reducing inequalities, advancing human rights’, and is aimed at ´

addressing and finding solutions for deep-rooted forms of discrimination that have affected the most vulnerable people in societies

´. As such, it presents a crucial opportunity for UNODC to align itself with other UN entities in calling for the end of policies that perpetuate inequality and discrimination, while highlighting its commitment to the promotion of human rights, in line with the UN system Common Positions.

It is in this context that we urge you to issue a strong statement on International Human Rights Day, calling on states to change the drug laws, policies and practices that violate health and human rights, and entrench inequality. To be credible, such a statement should explicitly acknowledge the disproportionate impact of drug laws and drug control on people marginalised on the basis of their gender, race, ethnicity, and economic status, and urge Member States to:

Abolish the death penalty in all circumstances. Imposing capital punishment for drug offences has been found to be contrary to international human rights law by the Human Rights Committee, and the Human Rights Council.

Put an immediate end to extrajudicial killings committed in the name of drug control, as has been repeatedly called for by the Human Rights Council and UN human rights experts.

Permanently close compulsory drug detention centres, including those that masquerade as ‘rehabilitation’, and implement voluntary, evidence-informed, and rights-based health and social services, as recently called for by sixteen UN agencies, including UNODC.

Stress the urgent need to provide accessible, affordable, and adequately funded harm reduction services in community and closed settings, to fulfil the right to health and the right to life of people who use drugs, as demanded by several UN human rights bodies and experts. This is also central to UNODC’s core role as lead UNAIDS co-sponsor regarding prisons and HIV amongst people who use drugs.

Take immediate measures to address prison overcrowding, as already recommended by UNODC and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, by promoting alternatives to incarceration, and ensuring proportionate sentencing for all drug offences, including by taking into account mitigating factors – in line with the basic principle that prisons should only be used as a last resort in all circumstances.

Ensure that people who use drugs are not subject to arbitrary detention, torture, or ill-treatment – whether in state custody or public or private drug services. While under detention, people with a drug dependence or health problems associated with their drug use must be offered evidence-based treatment, harm reduction and other drug services on a strictly voluntary basis.

Promote the end of all punishment for drug use, and drug possession and cultivation for personal use, as permitted within the three drug control conventions. Such policy shifts will help to end the stigma, criminalisation, and exclusion faced by people who use drugs, and to facilitate access to health and social services, as called for by the UN system Common Position, UNAIDS, and UN human rights bodies.

Make sure that drug policies incorporate a gender-sensitive perspective. This should be done by tailoring drug services to the specific needs of women, and by ensuring that criminal laws take into account the circumstances of women involved in drug offences, as most of them come from backgrounds of poverty, marginalisation, and oppression.

Clearly outline the ways in which UNODC will work to achieve these changes, and the measures being taken to ensure that human rights are effectively embedded as a core strand for all of the Office’s work.

As the lead UN agency in drug-related matters, UNODC has the responsibility to promote drug policies that respect, protect, and fulfil human rights, in a way that is consistent with the standards developed by the UN system, and in line with the commitments set in the UN system Common Positions on drugs and on incarceration. A strong statement in the forthcoming International Human Rights Day would be an important and welcome step to signal UNODC’s unequivocal commitment.

We look forward to discussing these concerns and recommendations with you.

NGOs urge UNODC's Executive Director to mark Human Rights Day with a call to reform drug policies that entrench inequality

LONDON [27 JUNE 2019] – Harm Reduction International and almost 120 human rights organisations from around the world – including Amnesty International and the International Commission of Jurists – published open letters today calling on the United Nations’ major drug control bodies to intervene and help stop Sri Lanka’s move to resume executions after 43 years.

President Maithripala Sirisena signed the execution warrants this week for four people convicted of drug-related offences.

The letters – sent to the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) and UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) – underscore that the death penalty for drug offences violates international human rights law. The signatories state that “Remaining silent as Sri Lanka puts an end to a 43-year de facto moratorium on executions would strike a blow to the INCB’s and UNODC’s commitments to human rights compliance as a core principle of international drug policy.”

Giada Girelli, human rights analyst at Harm Reduction International, said: “There is simply no evidence that the death penalty is an effective deterrent against the drug trade. President Sirisena’s move is a gross violation of human rights – UN bodies must urge authorities in Sri Lanka to reverse this and work to consign the death penalty to the history books.”

Harm Reduction International’s latest research shows that global executions for drug offences fell by almost 90% from 2015-18, in large part because of judicial reforms in Iran. Of the 35 countries that retain the death penalty for drug offences, only four carried out executions in 2018 (China, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Singapore).

Over 100 human rights groups urge UN to demand Sri Lanka halt executions of drug offenders

No mês de abril de 2019, o presidente do Brasil, Jair Bolsonaro, decretou o fim das políticas públicas de Redução de Danos no país, reforçando a guerra as drogas

. A guerra as drogas é sempre uma guerra contra as pessoas, contra a saúde, contra direitos e contra a ciência.

A decisão do atual presidente potencializa a estigmatização das pessoas que usam drogas e fomenta a militarização dos territórios compostos pela população mais vulnerável, autorizando uma verdadeira chacina de pobres e negros das periferias das cidades brasileiras.

A delegação brasileira presente a 26 edição da Conferência Internacional de Redução de Danos, realizada em Portugal, na cidade do Porto, pede o apoio da comunidade internacional para assegurar a manutenção das políticas de redução de danos no Brasil e as conquistas que essas políticas produziram ao longo dos últimos trinta anos.

1. Acción Semilla, Bolívia
2. Acción Andina, Bolívia
3. Acción Técnica Social (ATS), Colombia
4. Andean Information Network, Bolivia
5. Asociación Costarricense para el Estudio e Intervención en Drogas (ACEID), Costa Rica
6. Baltimore County Health Department in the Harm Reduction Program Syringe Services Program, EUA
7. CAFAC y Cultura Joven A.C., México
8. Campaña por la Descriminalización de las Personas Usuarias de Drogas en Bolivia
9. Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales, Argentina
10. Centro de Orientación e Investigación Integral (COIN), República Dominicana
11. Comisión Mexicana de Defensa y Promoción de los Derechos Humanos
12. Corporación Humanas, Colombia
13. Drug Policy Alliance, EUA
14. Ecuador Cannábico, Equador
15. Elementa DDHH, Colombia
16. Enlace, Espanha
17. Estudiantes por una Política Sensata de Drogas (EPSD), Bolivia
18. Federación Andaluza ENLACE
19. Frontline AIDS
20. Harm Reduction Coalition, EUA
21. Hawaii Health & Harm Reduction Center in Honolulu, HI, EUA
22. International Harm Reduction Association, Inglaterra
23. Instituto RIA (Mexico)
24. Intercambios Asociacion Civil, Argentina
25. Intercambios, Porto Rico
26. Latinoamérica Reforma, Chile
27. Law Enforcement Action Partnership, EUA
28. MUCD, Mexico
29. Observatorio de Cultivos y Cultivadores Declarados ilícitos (OCCDI), Colômbia
30. Open Aid Alliance's, EUA
31. Programa Libertas, Bolívia
32. Temblores ONG, Colombia
33. The Association for Humane Drug Policy, Noruega
34. Transnational Institute - Drugs & Democracy Programme, Holanda
35. Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), EUA

Declaração das organizações da sociedade civil sobre Brasil em HR19

In April 2019, the president Jair Bolsonaro declared the end of Harm Reduction public policies in Brazil, reinforcing the War on Drugs. The War on Drugs HAS ALWAYS BEEN a war against people, against Public Health, against Human Rights and against Science.

This decision worsens the stigmatization of people who use drugs. It also fosters the militarization of neighbourhoods composed of the most vulnerable populations; authorizing murder and imprisonment of poor and black people from the favelas and other marginalized regions of our cities.

The Brazilian delegation, present at the 26th International Conference on Harm Reduction held in Portugal in the city of Porto, requests the support of the international community to ensure the continuation of harm reduction policies in Brazil and the recognition of the achievements these policies have made over the last thirty years.

Brazil Statement at HR19

Em tempos de radicalização da violação de direitos e ameaça à democracia, é preciso defender a radicalidade da potência do cuidado. Para tanto apresentamos esta 

[1], região da cidade do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, onde se situa a Fundação Oswaldo Cruz[2] e diversas favelas e comunidades pobres que são constantemente atingidas pela nefasta e violenta política de guerra às drogas que criminaliza e autoriza ações bélicas, neste como em tantos outros territórios periféricos de toda a América Latina.

O mundo vive um momento de avanço das forças conservadoras, que na América Latina se expressa através da fragilização dos processos democráticos; no aprofundamento das iniquidades socioeconômicas; no aumento da fragmentação e segregação social. Tais dinâmicas, em seu conjunto, põem em risco direitos fundamentais. Exemplo emblemático foi a recente intervenção no bairro da Luz, na cidade de São Paulo. Durante quatro anos sustentou-se um projeto intersetorial inspirado nos princípios da Redução de Danos que visava articular ações de garantia de direitos à moradia, trabalho/renda e cuidado na região conhecida como “cracolândia”. Em maio de 2017 foi realizada uma operação policial com a intenção de uma “limpeza social”, com utilização do pânico moral para atender a interesses da especulação imobiliária. A violência e as arbitrariedades contra pessoas em situação de extrema pobreza e vulnerabilidade social, rotuladas como “viciados em crack”, seguiram-se por dias. Assim, uma política pública de cuidado, promoção da saúde e de direitos foi substituída pela repressão e violação de direitos.

Arbitrariedades como estas não são exclusivas do Brasil, e casos similares são encontrados em muitos lugares da América Latina, onde a droga funciona como pretexto para intervenção territorial. Ocorrem também outras situações de violência estrutural, como dificuldade de acesso a políticas públicas, assassinatos, prisões, exposição a doenças infectocontagiosas, falta de acesso a medicações e a políticas que garantam a cidadania.

As políticas de Redução de Danos, em seus esforços pela promoção da saúde, cidadania, direito à cidade, justiça social e direitos humanos das pessoas que usam drogas, não está isenta dos efeitos da conjuntura conservadora. O atual modelo de política de drogas opera seletivamente, criminalizando, encarcerando e estigmatizando sobretudo as populações mais pobres, moradoras de regiões periféricas, e de modo diferenciado as pessoas em situação de rua, negras, indígenas, mulheres e jovens.

As experiências bem sucedidas de cuidado são opostas à violência intervencionista defendida pelas políticas conservadoras. As evidências e o acúmulo político da Redução de Danos rejeitam propostas que não reconhecem a diversidade da experiência humana, e que se utilizem apenas da racionalidade biomédica e da criminalização de condutas consideradas desviantes. A Redução de Danos que realizamos no cotidiano de nossas práticas, em todo o continente, se apresenta como alternativa concreta ao fracasso de concepções e intervenções dicotômicas e simplistas. Não obstante, é preciso avançar ainda mais na direção de uma Redução de Danos interseccional, capaz de articular a defesa da reforma das políticas de drogas às lutas das mulheres, da população negra, dos povos indígenas, LGBTI’s e das múltiplas juventudes.

Diante disso, propomos a formulação de uma Redução de Danos inserida num projeto despenalizador e emancipatório, em que experiências subjetivas e corporais não sejam objeto de ações repressivas e disciplinadoras. A Redução de Danos, no atual contexto, é ferramenta potente de questionamento dos modelos de controle, implicando a afirmação e respeito à liberdade e autonomia das pessoas que usam drogas.

Consideramos urgente compartilhar nossas experiências e resistências, promovendo intercâmbios que consolidem nossa articulação Latino Americana em defesa de políticas públicas de Redução de Danos conectadas a reforma da política de drogas.

Assinam a Carta de Manguinhos as seguintes organizações e instituições:

Institutional Program on Alcohol, Crack and other Drugs of Oswaldo Cruz Foundation - PACD/Fiocruz (Brazil)

International Drug Policy Consortium – IDPC

Brazilian Association of Harm Reduction Workers – ABORDA (Brazil)

Brazilian Platform on Drug Policy - PBPD (Brazil)

Brazilian Association of Collective Health – ABRASCO (Brazil)

Brazilian Association of Mental Health – ABRASME (Brazil)

Brazilian Network for Harm Reduction and Human Rights – REDUC (Brazil)

Intercambios Asociación Civil (Argentina)

Asociación Costarricense para el Estudio e Intervención em Drogas – ACEID (Costa Rica)

Acción Técnica Social – ATS (Colombia)

International Network of People who Use Drugs - INPUD

Pares en Acción-Reacción Contra la Exclusión Social - PARCES (Colombia)

Centro Cáritas de Formación para la Atención de las Farmacodependencias y Situaciones Críticas Asociadas (Mexico)

Associação Brasileira Multidisciplinar sobre Drogas - ABRAMD (Brazil)

Grupo Tortura Nunca Mais Rio de Janeiro – GTNM/RJ (Brazil)

Iniciativa Negra por uma Nova Política de Drogas – INNPD (Brazil)

Associação Redes de Desenvolvimento da Maré (Brazil)

Agência Piaget para o Desenvolvimento - APDES (Portugal)

Drug Policy Alliance – DPA (United States)

Washington Office on Latin America – WOLA (United States)

International Centre for Science in Drug Policy – ICSDP (Canada)

South Indian Harm Reduction Network – SIHRN (India)

Transform Drug Policy Foundation (United Kingdom)

Union for Improved Services, Communication and Education (Ireland)

Teenswatch Community Harm Reduction (Kenia)

Centro de Prevención de las Adicciones de Bariloche (Argentina)

Fundación Latinoamérica Reforma (Chile)

Centro de Orientación e Investigación Integral - 

Students for Sensible Drug Policy (Jamaica)

Fédération Bruxelloise Francophone des Institutions pour Toxicomane – FEDITO (Belgium)

Association de lutte contre le sida – ALCS (Marocos)

Global Call to Action Against Poverty - GCAP (Burundi)

Students for Sensible Drug Policy (Australia)

Association des Guides du Congo – AGC (Congo)

Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies - MAPS (United States)

Washington Heights Corner Project (United States)

New York Harm Reduction Educators (United States)

Students for Sensible Drug Policy - SSDP (United States)

Elementa Consultoría en Derechos (Colombia)

Andean Information Network - AIN (Bolivia)

Puente, Investigacion y Enlace - PIE (Bolivia)

Estudiantes por una Política Sensata de Drogas (Costa Rica)

Asociación de Vecinos La Teja Barial (Uruguay)

Observatorio de cultivos y cultivadores declarados ilícitos - OCCDI (Colombia)

Corporación Humanas - Centro Regional de Derechos Humanos y Justicia de Género (Colombia)

Instituto Helena Greco de Direitos Humanos e Cidadania (Brazil)

Conselho Regional de Serviço Social do Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)

Coletivo Balance de Redução de Danos (Brazil)

Associação Brasileira de Estudos Sociais sobre o Uso de Psicoativos - ABESUP (Brazil)

Laboratório de Estudos Interdisciplinares sobre Psicoativos – LEIPSI (Brazil)

Centro de Pesquisa, Intervenção e Avaliação em Álcool e Drogas – CREPEIA (Brazil)

Centro de Referência sobre Drogas e Vulnerabilidades Associadas da UNB Ceilândia (Brazil)

Rede Nacional de Feministas Antiproibiocionistas - RENFA (Brazil)

Associação Multidisciplinar de Estudos sobre a Maconha Medicinal - AMEMM (Brazil)

Grupo Interdisciplinar de Estudos sobre Substâncias Psicoativas - GIESP/UFBA (Brazil)

Fórum Intersetorial de Drogas e Direitos Humanos de São Paulo - FIDDH (Brazil)

Fórum Estadual de Redução de Danos de São Paulo - FERD (Brazil)

Dispositivo de Abordaje Territorial Rosario - DIAT (Argentina)

New Parents for Addiction Treatment & Healing – New PATH (United States)

Carta de Manguinhos: Um apelo global para proteger a redução de danos na América Latina

At a time when rights violations and threats to democracy are deepening, it is necessary to defend the fundamental role of care. With this in mind, we present this 

, a region of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where Fiocruz[2] and, much more drastically, many favelas and poor communities have been constantly hit by despicable and violent war-on-drugs policies that criminalize drug users and authorize warlike actions on whole populations, like in so many other marginalized regions across Latin America and the world.

The world is currently witnessing a rise in conservative forces which, in Latin America, has translated into the weakening of democratic processes; the deepening of socioeconomic inequities; and an exacerbation of social breakdown and segregation. Taken together, such dynamics risk undermining fundamental rights. One emblematic example is the recent intervention that took place in the District of Luz, in the city of São Paulo. For four years, a multisectoral project inspired by the principles of harm reduction aimed to articulate actions to guarantee the right to housing, work / income and care in the region known as "

" A police operation aimed at "social cleansing" took place in May 2017, using moral panic to serve the interests of real estate speculators. This was followed by weeks of violence and arbitrary actions against socially vulnerable people living in extreme poverty, labeled as "crack addicts." A public policy focusing on care, health and promoting rights was thus replaced with repression and rights violations.

Such arbitrariness is not limited to Brazil – similar cases can be found in many areas of Latin America, where the presence of drugs serves as a pretext for territorial intervention. Other forms of structural violence include difficulties in accessing public services, murders, incarceration, exposure to infectious diseases, lack of access to medicines and absence of policies that aim to protect citizens’ rights.

Because of their focus on promoting health, citizenship, the right to access the city, social justice and drug users’ human rights, harm reduction policies have not been exempt from the effects of the conservative juncture. The current drug policy model is implemented selectively, by specifically criminalizing, imprisoning and stigmatizing the poorest groups living in marginal regions, homeless people, black and/or indigenous people, as well as women and youth.

Successful approaches focusing on care reject the interventionist violence defended by conservative policies. The evidences, ethic and political knowhow of harm reduction reject policies that fail to recognize the diversity of human experience and only rely on biomedical rationality and the criminalization of what is considered to be divergent behaviors. The harm reduction interventions that we are carrying out in our daily lives across the continent - and perhaps in other parts of the world - represent a concrete alternative to failed binary and simplistic concepts and interventions. It is nevertheless necessary to move even further towards a multisectoral harm reduction approach that is capable of articulating support for drug policy reform with the struggles of women, blacks, indigenous peoples, LGBTI and youth.

Given this situation, we propose a harm reduction approach grounded in decriminalization and emancipation, in which subjective and corporeal experiences are no longer exposed to repressive and disciplinary actions. Harm reduction is a powerful tool to question current models of control, and includes the promotion and respect for the freedom and autonomy of people who use drugs.

We consider it urgent to share our experiences and resistance, and promote a dialogue in Latin America - and elsewhere - with the view of consolidating our argument in defense of public harm reduction policies as they relate to drug policy reform.

The following organizations and institutions sign the 

Centro de Orientación e Investigación Integral - 

Letter from Manguinhos: A global call to protect harm reduction in Latin America

UNODC: “We advocate for the abolition of punitive approaches, and we seek actions rooted in the right to health and human rights”

The Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC),Aldo Lale-Demoz, stated the above at the opening ceremony of the VI Latin American Drug Policy Conference and I Caribbean Drug Policy Conference that takes place today and tomorrow in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

More than 700 people attended the opening of the most important gathering of the Latin American drug policy reform movement. Officials, experts and broad sectors of civil society closely followed the presentation of the senior UNODC official, who spoke about the lessons learned and best practices arising from technical assistance programs carried out by agency and which forms the basis of its analysis regarding its 75 regional and national offices in Latin America and the Caribbean.

 acknowledged that “the international community has made an important step in recent years to recognize that drug use and related complications – such as HIV, hepatitis C and drugs overdoses – are health issues. He noted that, “they must be addressed first by the public health system, since it is a problem that requires prevention, treatment and evidence-based care, where punishment, beyond violating human rights, has not yielded positive results; rather it tends to worsen the situation regarding addictions community peace and social cohesion“. “

We advocate for the abolition of punitive approaches, driving and we seek actions rooted in the right to health and human rights

Regarding criminal justice, he said that “entities engaged in law enforcement and criminal justice should focus primarily on combating more serious drug crimes and dismantle transnational criminal organizations. The criminalization of farmers engaged in illicit crops is neither effective nor fair. Farmers plant illicit crops due to poverty, exclusion, or coercion by illegal armed groups,”said the senior official. He also noted the commitment to “improve the availability and reasonable use of controlled drugs, as they are essential for the relief of pain related health conditions”.

Presidential Commitment to Women Incarcerated for Drug Offenses

An important promise was made by the Dominican Republic’s Minister of Women, 

, who said that “in our country addressing the drug issue has been made only from a punishment basis. It’s like the Dominican Republic is not aware that we have to work from prevention.” The public applauded when she declared: “we aim that women accused of nonviolent drug offenses should not go to prison, since most do not pose a threat to society,” adding that, “reducing the female prison population is a priority for President of the Republic”.

UNAIDS Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, 

, called for a moment of reflection because “the world is failing to protect the health of people who use drugs, many of whom have been traumatized by violence, stigmatized and incarcerated.” For the official, the “Leave No One Behind” 2030 Sustainable Development Goals Agenda “includes drug users”. He also highlighted the “work with civil society, including associations of people who use drugs”. Finally he said: “We have been working with various United Nations agencies so that the pillars of public health are incorporated into drug control policies”.

For his part, the Resident Coordinator of this UN body, 

, said that “this conference is extremely relevant” and also noted that “while there is no consensus on drug policy, the Sustainable Development Goals are underwritten for the vast majority of the international community, and their axis have close ties to the drug issue, such as reducing poverty and achieving peace, which inherently requires a change in drug policy”.

The representative of the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (OAS)

 stressed that “the drug problem requires multidimensional, comprehensive and cross-cutting responses”. She also said that “one of the great unfinished business’ is a focused health and human rights approach”. “We will not be able to solve it without regional cooperation”, said the official.

, Representative of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO / WHO) put the emphasis on “ensuring access to controlled drugs and reducing the stigma that hinders access to treatment”. She also noted that her agency promotes a “public health approach, investing in scientific evidence and joint drug policy targets for human development”.

, Executive Coordinator of CONFEDROGAS and Director of Institutional Relations for the Intercambios Civil Association of Argentina, stressed that “the current drug control policy have only deepened exclusion and continue to reinforce the stigma, discrimination and abuses affecting people who use drugs”. He further stated that “the punitive approach has had devastating effects and failed to reduce substance use, while increasing levels of violence and organized crime have been strengthened”. “Governments are destined to give a disproportionate amount of resources to the repressive policies, to the detriment of direct efforts to improve the human condition”. “It is necessary to prioritize responses from a public health perspective rather than through the criminal justice system”, he said.

, Director of the Center for Integral Orientation and Investigation (COIN), local organizer of the conference, noted that “policies based on repression are not delivering the expected results” and proposed the we “rethink drug policies to seek the welfare of human beings, and not fill the prisons with consumers”.

, Executive Director of the National Council for HIV and AIDS in Dominican Republic asked those present “not to discriminate against drug users” and stressed the need to “change the law 50-58 on Drugs and Controlled Substances” because “it criminalizes consumption, limiting harm reduction interventions for the prevention of HIV in drug users,” the official said. “We remember today and every day that equality and non-discrimination, are key to achieving a just and equitable society, and to think and act with the conviction that we can be part of this transformation,” he said.

“Incarcerating high numbers of women removes them from their families and violates their rights”

Punitive responses to drug offenses remain a decisive factor in the increase in the prison population, along with inhumane detention conditions. The panelists focused on this reality to engage in an active discussion.

, spokesperson for women incarcerated for minor drug offenses in Costa Rica, gave an emotional speech related to the issues she experienced when she was arrested for a drug offense, an activity that had to do with economic desperation to keep her four children. “Many women are deprived of their families and their rights to be imprisoned,” Priscila said and complained of “vulnerable situations that lead you to commit these acts”. She reflected that “we do not open eyes in time”.

, Public Defender from Ecuador, said that “drug policy is wrongly framed as criminal policies.” On the other hand, she said that “drug reforms within the criminal law in Ecuador has helped people with small amounts of drugs to not be imprisoned.” She also stressed that “the percentage of women in prison in Ecuador decreased by 43 percent” due to the policy.

, Public Defender of Costa Rica charged with the unit of Gender, Crime and Legislative Advocacy, said the reform “must be based in human rights” and that “the law 9161 means that rights are paramount.” “This was the main tool for the release of hundreds of women like Priscilla Chavez and allowed them to reunite with their families, since many of these women did not have many opportunities before committing the crime. ” For this public official, “the great challenge is the proportionality of punishment, human rights, we need to continue studying and researching and hear these stories like Priscila’s that touch hearts”.

The researcher from the Center for Citizen Security Studies at the University of Chile, 

developed a report on lessons learned from drug courts in Chile. For the academic, courts “have no legal recognition and is only possible thanks to an agreement between the operators of the judicial system and the health sector”. On the other hand, he said that “judges and prosecutors have trouble interpreting serious diagnoses, to know and be able to assess treatment processes, knowledge about addictions and motivational processes, adherence, and rehabilitation”.

 from Intercambios Civil Association and member of the Drug Studies and Law Collective(CEDD), who said that “the population arrested for drug possession grows every day in prisons in the region, and it is clear that it is a social problem.” “Health and treatment for these individuals is a right and they should not be imprisoned because this generates greater vulnerability and increasing poverty in the communities”.

, a research affiliate at the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) moderated the panel.

Milton Romani was honored in Santo Domingo

Milton Romani was General Secretary of Uruguay’s National Drug Advisory and Permanent Representative for Uruguay to the Organization of American States. He is someone who, acting from the realm of governance, has contributed the most in addressing drug policies from a human rights perspective. He was a promoter of reforms to legally regulate cannabis in Uruguay. Graciela Touzé, president of Intercambios Civil Association, presented a placard of appreciation.

With emotion, Milton Romani declared that “the participation of civil society is essential for designing public policy.” He also reflected on the so-called war on drugs, calling it a “war against the people.” “When we attack violence we increase violence. We live in a very unfair region; we have the highest rates of violence because poverty and inequality have increased much more than growth and development,” the former official concluded. “We must rescue the agenda of rights towards humanity, we must ask for the right to health, denied to thousands of users because of drug use”.

“We must question whether we leave drugs under the control of organized crime or controlled by the state and society”

, former Secretary General of the National Drug Board of Uruguay and Permanent Representative to the Organization of American States, concluded his participation while providing details of the process that led to the law regulating and controlling cannabis in Uruguay, ”it was debated in 2013 within the National Congress and approved in January 2014 as part of a citizen security plan”, he said. “There are around six thousand Uruguayans who are either cultivating for personal use or members cannabis clubs.” “If you want to buy in a pharmacy, prior registration is required and one can only consume up to 40 grams per month,” he said. “This is an experience that is based on the Uruguayan conditions that decided not to penalize personal consumption for decades, but had to enter the illegal market in order to buy. With the new law, users are consuming with a societal legitimacy.” For Romani, there are two certain possibilities: “leave drugs under the control of drug traffickers or controlled by the state and society”.

Starting with the epic song of Peter Tosh 

, a member of the Steering Committee of the Association of Ganja Growers and Producers presented on the ganja movement in Jamaica. Vicki said that in “2015 began with an amendment to the Dangerous Drugs Act and decriminalized the possession of small amounts of cannabis, up to 2 ounces or 56 grams, since most young people are being penalized for possession of small amounts of cannabis and we need to expunge the criminal records of those who were found in possession of small amounts. With this, more than 2000 records were expunged. For Hanson “the amendment to the Dangerous Drugs Act was a recognition of the rights of a society that has been marginalized by the traditional use of ganja”. “A lack a change of attitude within the medical community means that they deny the medical uses of cannabis.” On the other hand, “big companies from Europe and the United States come looking to enter the market, and producers/cultivators are not part of these talks”.

, President of the Commission for the decriminalization of marijuana in the CARICOM Region and former president of the Inter-American Commission cannabis Human Rights. To Rose-Marie, “saying that cannabis is a dangerous drug prevents us from doing scientific research to prove the beneficial effects it has.” On the other hand, she said that “decriminalization of small amounts of cannabis does not go far enough towards full decriminalization, which is the ultimate goal.” Finally, she stressed that “society excludes people who use cannabis with moral condemnation, prejudice and ignorance”.

, Director of the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition said that “the government of Canada is working aggressively on a public consultation process to bring cannabis regulation to reality” and that polls say that “68 percent of Canadians support a regulated approach.” He also noted that “the governments’ aim to restrict cannabis use to protect young people.” However, he reflected on “how will Canada respect the international drug treaties” and concluded that “Uruguay might consider this a treaty problem, but we must also find an effective regulating mechanism at a regional level”.

, a Mexican member of the Latin American Coalition of Cannabis Activists who noted that “the cultivation for personal use by users is what has worked nimbly or at least has achieved more than the current bureaucracy”.

, Project Coordinator for Latin America program Drugs and Democracy Transnational Institute (TNI) – CONFEDROGAS.

The process leading up to UNGASS 2016 reflected small but valuable advances: the use of human rights language, proportionality in penalties, greater gender perspective, access to controlled medicines and incorporating other UN agencies into the discussion. Also evident was a lack of consensus, reflecting the failures of the prevailing system and the important role played by civil society in this journey. However, in the international drug control system, no meaningful reforms have been produced. What challenges does this scenario present us with? Is the absence of consensus a starting for point for a new consensus? Which partnerships could be strengthened in anticipation of the high-level meeting of 2019?

, an international drug policy specialist from the Transnational Institute (TNI) in the Netherlands, reflected that “there are some countries that have challenged the drug treaties system, such as Uruguay and its regulated cannabis market, or Bolivia with the coca plant.” He affirmed that “What happened in UNGASS was a reaffirmation of treaties, since the agenda was completely limited from the start,” adding, however, that “there were a few advances after heavy negotiation on issues such as public health, access to controlled medicines and the cultural importance of traditional uses of drugs”.

, an official of the Department of International Affairs of the Office of Drug Policy of the Colombian Ministry of Justice, said that “the positions should move towards one another in order to approach a new global consensus on drug policy.” “The public health focus and the gender perspective have been introduced to the document, but issues such as non-medicinal cannabis use have been left out.” For this official, “the challenge after UNGASS, not just for Colombia, is to move from words to practice with the adoption of new actions that reflect what is said at UNGASS, to demonstrate that these actions exist and they work”.

“In the international realm there are opportunities. The Organization of American States signed the 2016-2020 Action Plan, which incorporated public health, human rights and gender approaches. The development of international experiences is also a space that can be used to implement evidence-based programs”, said Salcedo Vázquez.

“Projects, programs and policies that are proven to be efficient need to be promoted and made visible, such as comprehensive interventions around drug-dealing, regulation of drug markets, and implementation of harm reduction programs in various countries”, she said.

, Executive Secretary of the Board of Narcotics Control of the Ministry of the Interior of Ghana, UNGASS is simply a process, and it will not end in 2019 because it is a historic battle of elitism, prohibitionist narrative and powerful forces.” The African representative affirmed that “Africa has the most consistent experience in failed drug policies.” “I want to acknowledge the advances that have been made with regards to drug policy in Latin America”. He also noted that “civil society organizations are key to the reform process. UNGASS could not have been possible if it were not for the strength of civil society cracking and breaking barriers”. Finally the Ghanaian official understands that “we are following a negative narrative. We are talking about cocaine and cannabis, but the science has shown that alcohol and tobacco cause more deaths a year than cocaine. We need to change the narrative, and put more emphasis on the benefits that regulation could bring”.

, Associate Director of the Division of Health and Human Rights of Human Rights Watch, who highlighted the role of civil society in drug policy. The objectives of the civil society in each country have to be concrete, specific and measurable, and they must be of importance to the ultimate goal of protecting public health against the risks of drug use because, although we tried, we failed to get it included into the UNGASS outcomes document. “The 2019 Declaration is an opportunity to include all of this, and we will achieve it”, he said.

Executive Director of the Costa Rican Association for the Study and Intervention in Drugs, moderated the table.

Sustainable Development Goals and Human Rights within Drug Policy

In the UNGASS 2016 outcome document, member states established that the ‘efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and effectively address the world drug problem are complementary and mutually reinforcing.” However, the forced eradication of crops, among other measures, contributes to poverty, conflict and displacement of communities. In this sense, States have proposed goals to achieve sustainable development and assumed international obligations in human rights, and drug policies developed at a national level need to be consistent with such purposes. With these questions, the debate initiated.

, representative of the National Confederation of Agricultural Producers of the coca-growing regions of Peru (CONPACCP) began by stating that “coca, poppy and cannabis are unfairly demonized.” “Our ancient sacred leaf is medicine in its natural state and gives us life, and is our livelihood,” she said. “Governments pay more attention to international treaties and continue criminalizing cultivators.” “There are no public policies for agriculture and there are no development opportunities for rural families”, Amapola said.

“There is a lot of wealth for few people and a lot of misery for the vast majority in Peru. In practice, development programs do not exist, and millions are spent on combating drug trafficking. “However, we have some hope in UN programs”, she concluded.

, on behalf of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, analyzed the positive and negative aspects of the UNGASS 2016 outcome document of according to the goals set by the ODS. For them, “the document calls for health services to be available to people who use drugs, and which must be voluntary and evidence-based, however, there is no mention of harm reduction strategies, which raises a great contradiction.” “While the document reiterates the goal of ending HIV, it does not address the obstacles to accessing the right to health for people who use drugs,” Husbands said. He also analyzed that “the document is positive when calling for proportional sentencing for drug offenses but does not critically analysis on human rights violations and should provide reparations to victims”. “It also fails to address discrimination against women and ethnic minorities, while calling for a gender perspective” creating yet another contradiction, according to Husbands. Finally, he stressed that the document “does not recognize ancestral, religious and spiritual uses of drugs”.

, Advocacy and Project Director for Drug Policy at Health Poverty Action in the UK, said that “we are failing to formulate policies that can cope with the emerging challenges”. For the specialist, drug policies will not lead to the SDGs because “there is a prioritization of supply reduction on poverty reduction”. For her, policies should “strengthen prevention and treatment, which requires an improvement in access to harm reduction”. She also stressed that “women disproportionately suffer the burden of current policies”. For Horsfield, policies must “promote peaceful societies, and the militarization in many countries in the fight against drugs exacerbates violence, and prohibition increases profits of organized crime”. “There is a huge funding gap for the SDGs and spend billions of dollars in policies that hurt”, she reflected and concluded that if policies are not changed, the SDGS will be unattainable.

Centro de Orientación e Investigación Integral (COIN)

Region

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