White et al. argue that scientific, cultural and legal evidence clearly distinguishes coca from cocaine — and that global drug policy must correct this long-standing misclassification rooted in colonial bias.
This collection examines Europe’s harm reduction journey, including early successes, uneven implementation, securitisation, stigma and medicalisation; and proposes a reframed, people-led approach centring wellbeing, acknowledging drug-use benefits, and advancing rights-based reforms.
Traditional coca leaf producers and consumers from Peru reject their government’s stance before the WHO, urging the organisation to deschedule coca, recognise its cultural and medicinal uses, and support research and rights-based policies
According to the HIV Legal Network, laws criminalizing simple possession and drug trafficking entrench racism and stigma, deepen inequality, and endanger health and safety by pushing drug use into isolation and heightening the risk of overdose.
WHO underscores opioid agonist maintenance treatment (OAMT) as an essential, lifesaving health service, providing practical strategies to prevent and manage disruptions, safeguard access to methadone and buprenorphine, and ensure continuity of care during crises and instability.
IDPC calls on the European Commission to ensure the next Strategy is balanced, evidence-based, and rights-centred, prioritising harm reduction, civil society participation, and policy innovation over punitive approaches.
UNSG António Guterres proposes a restructuring of drugs, development, human rights, and HIV bodies, raising questions about oversight, civil society participation, and programme continuity.
UNDP charts a rights- and development-centred turn in drug policy, prioritising decriminalisation, harm reduction, equity-led transitions, and practical pathways to responsibly regulate some drug markets.
EHRA, Union for Equity and Health, and PULS urge the Committee to interrogate Moldova’s punitive drug policies, which criminalise people who use drugs, restrict health and employment outcomes, and deepen stigma.
The WHO ECDD reviews coca leaf’s chemistry, pharmacology, and uses, noting potential therapeutic effects, low toxicity, and weak evidence of dependence potential.
IDPC and A la Orilla del Río highlight how prohibitionism continues to shape the lives of young people in the Colombian Amazon, where gaps between policy and practice perpetuate stigmatisation and deny rights.
Dickson-Gomez et al. show that punitive action by US police during overdose responses may increase overdose risk and decrease reliance on emergency services.
