Harm reduction measures are needed to tackle the growing HIV epidemic in the Middle East and North Africa, aggravated by an increase in injecting drug users.
This IDPC response provides an overview of the data and topics presented in the Report and where appropriate, within the broader context of the current state of the UN drug control framework, offer a critical analysis of both.
Within these principles, drug users are included for the first time as a specific group requiring legal aid while in contact with the criminal justice system.
The meeting aimed to review a number of substances and provide advice to the World Health Organisation on whether they should be recommended for scheduling under the international drug control conventions.
The report concludes that the death penalty may be imposed only for the most serious crimes: those involving intentional killing. This means that, unless when they involve intentional killings, drug-related crimes should never be punished with the death penalty.
