Does decriminalizing drugs reduce harm?

Palani Narayanan, Malaysian AIDS Foundation: This push for drug policy reform—this push for decriminalisation—needs to take into consideration that we are shaking, rocking a lot of boats. Many people have been very comfortable with the status quo, with the income they’ve received from the investments made in law enforcement and incarceration. We need to redirect those investments away from law enforcement and towards health.

Émilie Roberge, Spectre de Rue: Decriminalising drugs would also reduce stigma, making it easier to access services. People could be more open about their consumption, for example with their doctor, without fear of being criminalized. Sellers could face fewer barriers to accessing testing services, meaning they could have their substances analyzed. I think this would help ensure access to safer substances, or a wider variety of substances that meet different needs—giving people access to their substance of choice. Avoiding the cycle of going in and out of prison also helps people make progress in their lives, without losing what they’ve achieved, without losing housing, and without being further stigmatized.

Daniel Rojas Estupiñan, Acción Técnica Social: In Colombia, decriminalisation has been a fundamental step in recognising rights and, especially, in reducing violence against people who use psychoactive substances—particularly violence from state organisations — such as the police. I believe it was also one of the great steps towards understanding substance use more from a public health perspective.

Ann Fordham, International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC): It's really important for policy makers to understand that decriminalisation does not exist in a vacuum. Of course, we need to remove criminal sanctions for people who use drugs and reduce their contact with the criminal justice system, but decriminalisation must also include meeting the broader needs of people who use drugs: ensuring access to housing, education, employment, healthcare, and full-spectrum harm reduction. Given that in many parts of the world drug markets are unregulated, this also includes providing a safe supply.

Alí Bantú Ashanti, Colectivo Justicia Racial: In Colombia, we have learned from the experiences of civil society organisations working on the decriminalisation of use, trafficking, and especially the situation of those who cultivate coca. We are talking about small farmers. It is absolutely necessary to decriminalise the entire chain. Here in Colombia, the human costs are enormous: people are being killed, disappeared, imprisoned. It is urgent, and from Colombia we make a call to rely on scientific evidence in order to decriminalise all drug use.

Louis Letellier de Saint-Just, l'Association des intervenants en dépendance du Québec (AIDQ): Decriminalisation is desirable. We must move toward the decriminalisation of simple possession of drugs. But in each country, if the decision is made to adopt a model of decriminalisation, it is crucial to define how. There are dozens of ways to design decriminalisation, and it is important to choose the right one.