This paper examines why the vision of the architects of the global prohibition regime has not been achieved, but also goes on to describe the damage to human health and welfare that has arisen from badly conceived and implemented drug control policies and programmes. The concluding section lays out the broad options that policy makers face for a future ‘direction of travel’.
Efforts to reduce the demand for illicit drugs through school-based and mass education campaigns have been generally disappointing. In contrast, there is good evidence that reducing the demand for illicit drugs through drug dependence treatment can be effective at the individual and also the community level.
The Global Commission on Drug Policies has issued a series of background documents on drug policy, in an effort to bring to the international level an informed, science-based discussion about humane and effective ways to reduce the harm caused by drugs to people and society.
This paper describes how the foundations of the global drug control system were established, the radicalisation of the system toward more reprressive implementation, consequently leading to soft defections and de-escalation efforts becoming more widespread. The last section projects a future for the ongoing reform process toward a modernisation and humanisation of the system's international level framework as laid down in the UN drug control conventions.
According to this report, released by the Inter-American Dialogue, what is most needed now is a far-reaching debate on alternative approaches that could reduce the risks and damage from the trafficking and abuse of illicit drugs.
This Guide has been prepared by IDPC to provide logistical and practical information to our members and partners who are sending participants to attend the 2011 CND.
This paper analyses the difficulties and challenges NGOs are facing in their harm reduction work, along with gaps and shortcomings in this field, and provides recommendations for the further development of appropriate harm reduction programmes in the region.
This paper, written in collaboration with the Correlation Network, describes the law enforcement and community involvement elements of the strategy, and provides available data on the results achieved so far.