East and South East Asia

News10 February 2025

Malaysia: Urine screening before concerts? Drug policy advocates explain why that may do more harm than good

Instead of investing in defective and costly measures, the government must implement life-saving harm reduction measures, such as drug checking.

News13 January 2025

Philippines: Will watching ‘Green Bones’ help decongest our jails?

Decongesting jails in the Philippines requires revising the Penal Code, as well as drug laws.

Publications22 December 2024

“Submit and surrender”: the harms of arbitrary drug detention in the Philippines

Amnesty International highlights how arbitrary drug detention is a driver of human rights abuses, including torture, and calls for evidence-based reform.

News12 December 2024

End executions, embrace regional progress - IDPC joins 26 NGOs urging Singapore to abandon the death penalty

Executions for drug offences undermine human rights and regional cooperationon illegal drug trafficking.

News2 October 2024

Thailand decides not to re-criminalise cannabis as it eyes $1bn medicinal industry

The proposed system would restrict access beyond medicinal use.

Publications1 October 2024

Diversion or death? The moral framework shaping bifurcated punishments for drug offences in Indonesia

Hoyle and Harry discuss how frameworks of morality, compassion and traditionalism shape criminal justice outcomes and punitive responses, informing efforts to challenge harsh penal policy and capital punishment in the region.

News26 September 2024

Decriminalising drug use can help save lives, redirect resources for infectious diseases, says Malaysia deputy health minister

Deputy Minister Lukanisman said decriminalisation challenges stigma, facilitates access to health services, and tackles social injustice and called on international leaders to consider this policy.

Publications25 September 2024

Cambodia: Barriers to accessing alternatives to incarceration for women and young people who use drugs

IDPC presents an analysis of the available alternatives to incarceration to show some of the barriers and challenges to accessing non-custodial measures.

Events

Legal reforms in Southeast Asia - Drugs and decriminalisation in Asia webinar series

Online

25 September 2024

This webinar aims to provide updates on recent legal reforms towards decriminalisation, and to discuss how they might support efforts towards harm reduction and human rights objectives.

Publications11 September 2024

The crisis of overcrowded prisons in Indonesia: Barriers to accessing alternatives to imprisonment

IDPC and LBHM critically assess the country's punitive drug policies and their impact on prison overcrowding, recommending increased health-oriented provision and legal reforms.

Publications11 September 2024

Drug laws in Thailand: the limits of reforms to relieve prison overcrowding

IDPC discusses alternative measures to incarceration implemented in Thailand from the perspectives of practitioners and people involved in the criminal legal system.

Events

International Society of Addiction Medicine (ISAM) Regional Meeting 2024

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

10 September 2024 - 12 September 2024

Under the theme 'Managing Addiction Through Integrated Intervention in The Challenging Era', this years regional meeting features interactive sessions on providing holistic and evidence-based care, hosted by The Universiti Malaya Centre for Addiction Science Studies in Kuala Lumpur.

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