Despite an ongoing public health crisis, drug war ideology continues to guide UK policy-making, with severe consequences for already marginalised communities.
Ongoing political turmoil has halted government plans to purchase vast quantities of illicitly grown coca, leaving the market in the hands of organised crime.
Following the tragic death of her daughter, Anne-Marie has become a leading voice in UK drug policy reform, advocating for legal regulation and enhanced education for young people.
As drug overdoses, including in relation to fentanyl-laced substances, more than double, calls for youth-specific harm reduction and overdose prevention and management become louder.
The Ministerial conference concluded with the adoption of the "Lisbon Declaration", which notes, inter alia, global developments in cannabis policy and commits to the protection of people who use drugs.
The bill would translate into increasing human rights abuses in the name of drug control, including through the involvement of the military in treatment and the expansion of compulsory detention.
Activists decried that the measure will suppose supplementary funds for policing and, through very low thresholds, perpetuate police intervention in the lives of people who use drugs.
Despite attempts by the outgoing administration to ban the prescription of cannabis products, a growing number of activists, civil society, health professionals and politicians mobilise to secure safe access.
