Drugs produce negative consequences for both users and societies in general, and minimizing their consumption should be the main goal. The salient discussion is therefore about choosing among different strategies to achieve the same goal. This book contributes to the debate by shedding light on the understanding of the economics and logistics of the drug market.
Relevant drug policy publications are almost nonexistent in languages other than English. With the help of leading drug policy experts, the Global Drug Policy Program has selected five key documents for translation, the first of which - "Legislating for health and human rights: model law on drug use and HIV/AIDS" - is now available in English, Chinese, Fahsi, French and Russian.
NGO Veza organised a study visit to Slovenia from 11th to 14th April 2010 for 22 representatives of institutions and civil society organisations working with drug users in Serbia. The main goal of this study visit was to enable participants to learn about the treatment and harm reduction services available for drug users in Slovenia.
Hundreds of drug offenders are executed annually and the number likely tops 1,000 if figures from countries that don't disclose their death penalty data are included, according to this new IHRA report.
Although perhaps more conciliatory in tone than in previous years, the document receals the INCB as a body that maintains a very narrow and selective interpretation of the drug control conventions. As policy debates around the world grow richer and more diverse, the INCB is in danger of being left behind.
Women who use drugs are at exceptionally high risk of HIV infection. They share injecting equipment and typically use after their partner. They are also more likely to have sexual partners who inject drugs. This report examines six harm reduction programmes in Ukraine that provide gender sensitive services to women.
The ICSDP released its first report, Effect of drug law enforcement on drug-related violence: evidence from a scientific review in April 2010. The report revealed that rather than reducing drug related violence, drug law enforcement likely leads to more violence, gun offenses and homicide.
On the 19th and 20th March, 2010, the Andreas Papandreou Foundation (APF) and IDPC co-hosted the first informal policy dialogue for the South East European region. A report from the meeting's discussions is now available online.
This IHRA report "3 Cents a Day is Not Enough: Resourcing HIV-related Harm Reduction on a Global Basis" calls for more money to ensure that harm reduction services are provided to those in need around the world.
A new report released by the Nossal Institute for Global Health and the Open Society Institute documents the arbitrary detention of thousands of drug users, mostly young people, in controversial detention centers in Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand. While the detention is supposedly for treatment, children and adults are held in boot camp-like centers where they do not receive adequate medical care and are subjected to routine physical and sexual abuse.
Reporting in the journal Addiction, researchers say that based on their review of available literature on needle-exchange programmes - an analysis of five previous reviews of needle-exchange programmes - the evidence for the programmes' effectiveness is weaker than generally thought. On the other hand, there was "strong" evidence across the reviews that needle-exchange programmes reduce the sharing or reuse of dirty needles, and no evidence of harmful effects.