Many civil society organisations working on HIV, AIDS and human rights express grave concern about the manner in which the KORUS Free Trade agreement was passed in the South Korean Parliament in November. The South Korean government has reportedly pushed its parliament to ratify the agreement without transparent and open public debate. This act of secrecy and lack of accountability to the public was demonstrated by the chaos that prevailed in the South Korean Parliament on Tuesday.
The Portuguese drug decriminalisation and harm reduction model has been in place for a decade and is a proven success, but austerity measures may threaten drug treatment.
On Tuesday 6th December, IDPC, in collaboration with Harm Reduction International and the Kenya AIDS NGOs Consortium (KANCO), will organise a satellite session entitled "Putting health and human rights at the centre of drug policy: Recommendations from the Global Commission on Drug Policy".
The Global Drug Survey is an anonymous online survey that addresses how people are using illegal drugs as well as alcohol, tobacco and prescription medications. It combines basic information on what drugs people use, how often they take them, and the medical, social and legal consequences of drug use.
With the astonishing admission of the Colombian president that the war on drugs is not working, the time is right for the international development community to add its voice.
On November 17, Bolivia, Brazil and the United States planned to ratify agreements on a trilateral coca monitoring effort. Officials delayed signing the accord until Friday, and then postponed it indefinitely.
The Case Study Database promotes a debate among legal professionals about the absence of basic constitutional principles in Brazil’s Drug Laws such as the right to health care, limits on the punitive power of the State and, above all, the democratic spirit of the rule of law.
After Berlusconi’s government resignation, Italian NGOs appeal to the newly appointed Prime Minister, Mario Monti, for a change in drug policies and for the dismissal of the drug czar, Carlo Giovanardi, and of the Head of the Drug Department, Giovanni Serpelloni. This appeal was signed by 300 professionals.
To mark the 50th anniversary of the 1961 UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, the Beckley Foundation published a public letter calling for a new approach in drug policy.
The police blitzes in this Olympic city’s biggest slums are meant to show the world that Rio is winning the fight against violent drug gangs that have ruled the shantytowns for decades. With this weekend’s occupation of the Rocinha slum, home to 100,000 people, authorities secured key areas near athletic events planned for the 2016 Games.
According to the Commission for Vulnerable Groups of the Mexican Deputies’ Chamber, 40,000 children have become orphans as a result from the Drug War related violence. W Radio, a nation-wide broadcasting company in Mexico, is airing a series of stories on the impact of the war on drugs on children and youth.
During the holding of its 102nd session, the INCB reviewed efforts to implement the international drug control conventions and declared that "efforts in drug control must be sustained in order to prevent the suffering caused by drug abuse and inadequate access to internationally controlled medicines for medical purposes."