The World Medical Association and the International Federation of Health and Human Rights Organizations have condemned the practice of forced incarceration in the name of drug treatment, and the groups have called for such facilities to be closed immediately.
In a commentary in The Lancet medical journal, Daniel Wolfe and colleagues called into question the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s recent decision to approve the efficacy of once-monthly, injectable form of the medication naltrexone for opioid users based on one trial in Russia.
The “zero draft” civil society declaration was developed by national, regional, global and constituency-based organisations to assist in coordinating civil society advocacy with UN member States at the High Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS in New York next June.
Ten years after introducing one of Europe's most draconian drug laws, the Polish Parliament has voted to amend it, in an effort to draw a greater distinction between drug user and drug dealer.
New Zealand’s 35-year-old drug law is in for a major shake-up if the New Zealand Government adopts all recommendations for reform made in a recent drug law review conducted by the independent Law Commission.
Avaaz has launched a major campaign on drug policy. The campaign aims to gather 1 million signatures calling on UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon to set out a new direction for national and international policies on controlled drugs. The petition will be presented to the UN in New York on 2 June, to coincide with the publication of the report of the Global Commission on Drug Policy. The campaign's core messages are:
The war on drugs has failed
Alternative approaches are feasible
It is high time to break the taboo and pursue a new direction
Read the Avaaz statement and support the campaign!
In an article entitled "From coca monitoring to sustainable farming", UNODC highlights the importance of alternative development for a successful drug crop eradication campaign in Bolivia.
This series of videos provides a comprehensive overview of the main discussions that took place at the 2011 International Harm Reduction Conference in Beirut, Lebanon.
On Wednesday 27th April, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) held elections in New York for the International Narcotics Control Board for a five-year term (2012-2017). The two candidates elected from among the World Health Organisation candidates are Professor Hamid Ghodse and Wayne Hall.
In April, the HCLU video team travelled to Beirut and participated in the International Harm Reduction Conference 2011. During the conference an uprising broke out in the Roumieh prison, where thousands of prisoners rioted against the inhumane conditions.
The 54th Session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) took place from 21st to 25th March 2011. A number of organisations that participated to the meeting share their impressions of the event in reports, blogs and videos.
Authored by the editors of the Journal of the International AIDS Society, this e-course is designed to support the preparation, writing and submission of abstracts to scientific conferences. The course provides examples and short exercises for interactive learning, as well as key take-home messages and a summary overview in form of a self-use checklist.