This primer is a tool to better understand the role of the UN drug conventions, the scope and limits of their flexibility, the mandates they established for the CND, the INCB and the WHO, and the various options for treaty reform.

This briefing explains the background to the opening of the drug policy debate in Latin America, summarises the most relevant aspects of the ongoing drug law reforms in some countries, and makes a series of recommendations that could help to move the debate forward in a productive manner.