Stigma, discrimination, criminalisation and racism have had devastating impacts on the right to health of people who use drugs, in particular on people facing multiple and intersecting layers of vulnerability.
UN Special Rapporteur Tlaleng Mofokeng called upon member states to end the war on drugs, as a war on people and a threat to the dignity, health and rights of communities.
A recent UN report stressed protecting Indigenous cultural and medicinal plant use, preventing corporate exploitation, and integrating traditional knowledge into public health policies.
Borschmann et al. find that alcohol and other drug poisoning is the highest cause of death after release from incarceration, underscoring the importance of better transitional healthcare and reducing imprisonment.
In response to Nigeria's proposal of the death penalty for drug-related offences, civil society demand reform instead, urging harm reduction and support for effective drug policies.