North America

US President Nixon launched the "war on drugs" in the 1970s. Today, incarceration, social marginalisation and drug-related deaths have led North America to rethink this strategy. However, although positive developments are happening locally in the fields of harm reduction, alternatives to incarceration, new drug law enforcement approaches and cannabis regulation, the US and Canadian federal governments remain resistant to drug policy reform.

Read more

Results 1 to 20 of 1179.

On 50th anniversary of “war on drugs,” new poll shows majority of voters support ending criminal penalties for drug possession, think drug war is a failure

ACLU and Drug Policy Alliance Call on Biden to Begin Ending Failed War by Commuting Sentences of People Incarcerated for Drugs.

News Alerts June 12, 2021

A war on research: Drug policy and 50 years of lost knowledge

21:30 24 June - 4 June 2021

Webinar

Exploring the systemic gaps in our knowledge on the circumstances in which people use drugs can help explain the war on drugs' misaligned objectives.

Events 4 June 2021

9th symposium on HIV, law and human rights

17 June 2021 17:30-21:00

Online

HIV Legal Network sets out to define the global targets necessary towards overcoming the decades-long public health challenge that is HIV.

Events 2 June 2021

Decriminalization done right: A human rights and public health vision for drug policy reform in Canada

Canadian civil society and community network voice major concerns over the City of Vancouver's approach to decriminalising simple drug possession.

News Alerts May 15, 2021

Decolonising drug policy: American exceptionalism

10 November 2021 13:00

Webinar

American exceptionalism: Why the role of the US in global drug policy must change.

Events 11 May 2021

As more states legalize marijuana, people with drug convictions want their records cleared

Failure to expunge cannabis-related felony convictions prevent those affected from obtaining access to employment, education and housing.

News Alerts May 10, 2021

Legalisation of cannabis in 3 US states: New York, Virginia, New Mexico

Progressive changes include pardons for past minor offenses and funds for communities specifically targeted by law enforcement.

News Alerts May 8, 2021

The “Vancouver Model” of decriminalization will set a dangerous precedent for drug users across Canada

VANDU criticises a model that side-lines the knowledge and experiences of those whom the initiative purports to serve.

News Alerts May 8, 2021

Addiction should be treated, not penalized, says NIDA Director

NIDA acknowledges the impact of punitive approaches to drug use in hindering health and racial justice.

News Alerts April 29, 2021

Government of Canada supports first of its kind safer supply project in Toronto

Amidst promise and criticism, public health authorities started rolling out initiatives to reduce the lethal impact of a highly adulterated and potent street supply of opioids.

News Alerts April 29, 2021

Redressing inequities in America’s drug policies: An evidence-grounded call for bold action

The Center on Drug Policy Evaluation outlines drug policy reform and harm reduction priorities they believe the Biden administration should immediately act upon.

Publications April 28, 2021

Overdose deaths have surged in the US during the pandemic, C.D.C. data shows

Preliminary data suggests over 87,000 have dead from drug overdoses, as calls for urgent action from a health and harm reduction perspective intensify.

News Alerts April 15, 2021

Drug use for grown-ups: A conversation with Carl Hart

19 April 2021 22:00-23:30

Live stream

Dr. Hart draws on his own research and personal experience to argue criminalisation and anti-drug-user stigma sustains systemic racism.

Events 12 April 2021

United States: Proposed legislation would legalise supervised injection facilities to combat drug overdoses

Inspired by their success abroad, a growing number of legislatures are finally setting up legal frameworks to enable these life-saving facilities.

News Alerts April 12, 2021

United States: After crime plummeted in 2020, Baltimore will stop drug, sex prosecutions

Temporary steps to prevent the spread of the pandemic will be made permanent as non-prosecution of drug use, sex work and other minor charges prove beneficial to health and safety.

News Alerts April 12, 2021

The first southern US state legalizes marijuana — what it means nationally

Reform comes against the backdrop of a recent poll that suggests 75% of the country's population opposes federal prohibition.

News Alerts April 12, 2021

Converging epidemics: COVID-19, HIV & inequality

FCAA highlights how marginalised communities in the US and globally have been impacted by COVID-19 and how their needs have changed over the past year.

Publications April 9, 2021

I hid my wounds for months and nearly lost my life: Stigma kills drug users

Insufficient healthcare provision and neglectful medical practices compound the challenges of a treacherous drug supply and imperil the lives of people who use drugs.

News Alerts April 1, 2021

25 organizations call for an end to U.S. support for aerial herbicide fumigation in Colombia

A return to permitting aerial spraying of glyphosate to combat Colombia's illicit drug trade would have disproportional environmental and public health repercussions.

News Alerts March 31, 2021

New York legalizes recreational marijuana, tying move to racial equity

Under the law, 40 percent of tax revenue from cannabis will support marginalised communities disproportionately affected by drug arrests.

News Alerts March 31, 2021

International Drug Policy Consortium

North America

On 50th anniversary of “war on drugs,” new poll shows majority of voters support ending criminal penalties for drug possession, think drug war is a failure

A war on research: Drug policy and 50 years of lost knowledge

9th symposium on HIV, law and human rights

Decriminalization done right: A human rights and public health vision for drug policy reform in Canada

Decolonising drug policy: American exceptionalism

As more states legalize marijuana, people with drug convictions want their records cleared

Legalisation of cannabis in 3 US states: New York, Virginia, New Mexico

The “Vancouver Model” of decriminalization will set a dangerous precedent for drug users across Canada

Addiction should be treated, not penalized, says NIDA Director

Government of Canada supports first of its kind safer supply project in Toronto

Redressing inequities in America’s drug policies: An evidence-grounded call for bold action

Overdose deaths have surged in the US during the pandemic, C.D.C. data shows

Drug use for grown-ups: A conversation with Carl Hart

United States: Proposed legislation would legalise supervised injection facilities to combat drug overdoses

United States: After crime plummeted in 2020, Baltimore will stop drug, sex prosecutions

The first southern US state legalizes marijuana — what it means nationally

Converging epidemics: COVID-19, HIV & inequality

I hid my wounds for months and nearly lost my life: Stigma kills drug users

25 organizations call for an end to U.S. support for aerial herbicide fumigation in Colombia

New York legalizes recreational marijuana, tying move to racial equity

In this section

In this section

Subscribe to our newsletters