Amid a number of suspected drug overdose deaths in the recent past, a section of politicians has renewed the demand for legalising sale of opium in Punjab – which they consider a better option for users hooked on drugs.

, senior Akali leader Sikander Singh Maluka said, “(A)Feem di eh history aa, na aj tak koyee khake marya, na ghar baar vechya (This is the history of opium that no-one died by consuming it, nor anyone had to sell his house and property).” He added, “There could be a rare exception who may have consumed it in large quantity.”

On the other hand, he said the youth were getting hooked on various harmful drugs like chitta and others.

Former Patiala MP Dharamvira Gandhi – who had in 2016 even moved a private member’s bill in Parliament seeking to decriminalise opium, marijuana and poppy husk and amend the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 – said legalising the sale of such substances can finish the mafia completely. “It will cut the ground from under their feet,” Dharamvira Gandhi told 

. “Let there be an atmosphere of fearlessness that users can get the drugs from a reliable, legal, authenticated legal force,” he said.

India: Punjab politicians renew demand for legalising opium sale, say 'it's part of our culture'

Politicians in Ukraine have approved the first reading of a bill that will see the legalisation of cannabis for medicinal use.

Officials voted to adopt the bill on regulating cannabis for medical, scientific and industrial use, at its first reading in the Verkhovna Rada [parliament] of Ukraine on Thursday 13 July.

A total of 268 MPs voted in favour of the bill at the plenary session, with President Zelenskyy and Health Minister Viktor Liashko having publicly expressed their support.

 to create regulatory conditions for the legal limited circulation of cannabis, cannabis resin, cannabis extracts and tinctures for their use in medical, industrial and scientific purposes.

It will see doctors permitted to prescribe cannabis-based medicines for conditions including pain and PTSD.

Ukraine approves first reading of bill to legalise medical cannabis 

Xylazine, a non-opioid sedative substance, complicates the overdose crisis not only in North America but in Estonia as well. A report with pragmatic recommendations to people who use drugs by Mart Kalvet from LUNEST.

In mid-January, the Estonian drug users’ association LUNEST received a signal that in addition to synthetic opioids, xylazine (a veterinary drug with strong sedative, muscle-relaxing, pain-relieving, hypnotic, and anaesthetic effects) was found in the bodies of two people who died due to drug overdose at the end of December.

Aljona Kurbatova, head of the Center for Drug Addiction and Infectious Disease Prevention at the Estonian National Health Development Institute, said that a few years ago, the efforts of the police and the prosecutor’s office bore fruit, and fentanyl practically disappeared from the Estonian drug market. “This time, an alternative was found in the USA, where by then substances belonging to the group of nitazenes and fentanyl mixed with e.g. xylazine, which is a particularly dangerous combination, were already spreading. Maybe wars and geopolitics also affect the drug market,” she said.

Xylazine comes to Estonia: Risks and responses

 urges countries to stop the war on drugs and provide full rehabilitation to the victims! On 26 June, the Andrey Rylkov Foundation joins the global advocacy campaign, 

, to shed light on the devastating consequences of the War on Drugs in Russia and its expansion into Ukraine. Collaborating with Drugreporter, the Foundation releases a short video exposing the atrocities inflicted by punitive drug policies, aiming to raise global awareness and demand urgent change.

The War on Drugs, a failed and harmful approach to drug policy, has faced widespread criticism for its ineffectiveness, racism, lack of scientific basis, and inhumane nature. Despite these concerns, conservative politicians worldwide continue to embrace this ideology, perpetuating human rights violations against people who use drugs and creating fertile ground for authoritarian leaders.

Russia serves as a tragic example of the consequences of global drug prohibition, where the Putin administration’s War on Drugs has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people and countless others facing imprisonment, torture, and discrimination. The government’s refusal to address public health issues, such as the spread of HIV/AIDS and limited access to essential medicines for drug dependency, further compounds the crisis.

 has been at the forefront of providing unauthorized harm reduction services in Moscow and documenting rights violations against people who use drugs countrywide. The Foundation’s work has shed light on the challenges faced by individuals with drug dependencies and the urgent need for adequate treatment and support. The Foundation strongly condemns the increasing criminalization and mass imprisonment implemented by the Russian government, as well as the suppression of information on harm reduction and effective drug treatments. It calls for accountability for the crimes committed in the name of the War on Drugs. It urges human rights and drug policy communities worldwide to seek justice and provide full political and social rehabilitation to the survivors of the War on Drugs.

As we observe Support Don’t Punish Day, the Andrey Rylkov Foundation remains dedicated to consolidating evidence, raising awareness, and advocating for a more humane and reasonable approach to drug policy. The dismantling of the War on Drugs ideology and the restoration of historical justice are crucial for a just and equitable society.

The global 'war on drugs' breeds monsters like Putin

Drug-related policies impact women and men differently, with women being stigmatised to a greater degree than men. Existing gender inequalities often compound this stigma. Despite some positive changes in recent years concerning gender equality and human rights, many women who use drugs are still subjected to discrimination, criminalisation, and structural and intimate violence, which can take shape in many forms, such as physical assault, rape, sexual violence, stalking, harassment, and coercive and controlling behaviour.

Women who use drugs are especially vulnerable to gender-based violence from intimate partners and law enforcement personnel and have limited options for support. For example, the rules and procedures of shelters and refugee centres often prohibit the provision of accommodation to women who use drugs, which may include those receiving opioid agonist treatment (OAT). Additionally, women who use drugs are often caught in a vicious circle of drug use and gender-based violence, where the trauma of violence contributes towards increased drug use, and, in turn, escalated drug use and its associated behaviour expose women to a higher risk of violence. EHRA’s guide Help Impossible to Ignore notes that in the CEECA region, the main problems of women who use drugs and experience gender-based violence are difficulties in processing paperwork and accessing safety, support services, and psychological help, as well as intense stigmatisation of the issue of female drug use and dependence.

Women who use drugs, some of whom sporadically or regularly engage in sex work and have relatively limited access to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) services, are also at a higher risk of contracting blood-borne viruses, including HIV. Significant barriers to opioid agonist treatment (OAT), such as unequal coverage between urban and rural areas, repressive drug policies, lack of gender-sensitive staff training and knowledge, and abstinence-based approaches, contribute towards a low OAT uptake among women who use opiates. This impact is amplified by a lack of gender-sensitive drug treatment opportunities, which prevents women from accessing OAT and other harm reduction services, such as needle and syringe programmes (NSP).

Access the full report via the 'Downloads' link on the right hand side.

CHECK magazine - Women who use drugs - 3rd issue

The Eastern Europe and Central Asia region continues to face a growing HIV epidemic. HIV incidence is increasing and there are no reductions in AIDS-related mortality. The epidemic is largely driven by injection drug use and unprotected sex among key populations who face significant legal barriers, including criminalization, discrimination, and stigma. This hinders their access to life-saving medicines and healthcare services. There is a clear need for continued funding for sustainability and advocacy on HIV in EECA. Governments, international organizations, and donors must prioritize funding for HIV prevention and treatment programs, harm reduction programs, advocacy campaigns, and research to address the region’s HIV epidemic.

, Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) has the fastest growing HIV epidemic in the world. In 2021, 160,000 [130,000–180,000] people were newly infected with HIV — a 48% increase since 2010. There were 44,000 [36,000–53,000] AIDS-related deaths in the region in 2021, 32% higher than in 2010.

The UNAIDS report tells us that regional HIV prevention and treatment service coverage remains insufficient. As of 2021, 63% of people living with HIV (PLHIV) were aware of their status, 81% of people who knew their HIV-positive status were on treatment (51% of all PLHIV) and 94% of people on treatment were virally suppressed (48% of all those infected). Unsafe injecting practices are a key factor in the region’s epidemic. Opioid agonist therapy (OAT) is available in Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and the Republic of Moldova, but it barely reaches those in need in Kazakhstan and is unavailable in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

The worsening HIV crisis in Eastern Europe and Central Asia

Patterns of drug use and developments in the drug market in Europe are becoming more complex and dynamic, with major implications for drug monitoring and research. This observation prompted the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drg Addiction (EMCDDA) to conduct a futures exercise 2030 to inform the agency’s strategic reflection on how to improve its activities in the context of both ongoing rapid changes in the information environment and the new information needs likely to emerge over the next decade. A summary of this work is provided here.

The future of drug monitoring in Europe until 2030: A report summarising the findings and lessons learnt from the EMCDDA’s ‘futures study’

The speed and scale of cannabis policy change and the potential impact of these policies on public health and safety, has prompted the EMCDDA to publish this report, which outlines key issues related to cannabis legislation, including an overview of current policies and laws at the EU level and in individual Member States. The topic of synthetic cannabinoids, and in particular the rise in illicit marketing and use of these substances, is not addressed here, as it is covered in detail in a forthcoming module of the European Drug Markets Report.

The reader should note that while every effort has been made to ensure that the current report is accurate at the time of its drafting, this a highly dynamic area and it is possible that the situation may have changed by the time the document is released.

While the primary focus of this report is on the use of cannabis for recreational purposes, relevant legislation for other uses is included in order to provide the necessary context for various policy initiatives. Written for a broad audience, the report aims to give brief answers to some of the more frequently asked questions raised in discussions about cannabis legislation. These have been grouped into five parts: 

What are countries’ international obligations to control cannabis? 

How do EU countries respond to illegal use and supply of cannabis? 

Is there a trend towards cannabis regulation — and if so why? 

What laws cover medical and commercial cannabis-derived products?

Cannabis laws in Europe: questions and answers for policymaking

Harm Reduction International has monitored the use of the death penalty for drug offences worldwide since their first ground-breaking publication on this issue in 2007. This report, their twelfth on the subject, continues their work of providing regular updates on legislative, policy and practical developments related to the use of capital punishment for drug offences, a practice which is a clear violation of international standards.

The Global Overview 2021 revealed that 2021 had ended as a year of mixed progress. On one side, the number of countries executing people for drug crimes had reached a decade-low, owing mostly to a halt in drug-related executions in Saudi Arabia and, to some extent, the COVID-19 pandemic. On the other side, a significant increase in confirmed executions had been recorded, largely attributable to a surge in Iran. 

In the course of 2022, the situation sharply deteriorated.

As of December 2022, Harm Reduction International (HRI) recorded 

at least 285 executions for drug offences globally during the year, a 118% increase from 2021, and an 850% increase from 2020.

 Executions for drug offences are confirmed or assumed to have taken place in six countries: Iran, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, plus in China, North Korea and Vietnam – on which exact figures cannot be provided because of extreme opacity.

This regression was met with robust resistance, as 2022 also featured strong activism from civil society and victims’ families.

 In Singapore, a wave of protests kicked off – one that has rarely been seen in the country due to extreme limitations on assemblies and routine intimidation of activists.

In the context of these regressive trends, 

institutional actors and fellow states have failed to adequately respond

. The death penalty for drug offences received some attention in intergovernmental fora throughout 2022 (including within a UN Secretary General’s report to the Human Rights Council). Some executions were met with statements of condemnation from various actors, including the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the European Union, and other diplomatic missions. But, these responses were largely ad-hoc and symbolic, and widely insufficient.

While more countries abolished the death penalty in 2022, the use of capital punishment for drug offences is going in a markedly different direction,

 impinging on the likelihood of achieving global abolition.

These figures are a call to action to all actors involved in the fight for abolition, but primarily to governments and to intergovernmental actors: to acknowledge the barrier that punitive drug policies represent for the global fight towards abolition, and to identify and pursue new, influential strategies to promote the respect of international standards on the death penalty.

The death penalty for drug offences: Global overview 2022

2022 was one of the most consequential in recent European history, witness to a series of overlapping crises: the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, fast-growing population displacements, the MPOX outbreak, shrinking civil society spaces and the deepening of socioeconomic inequalities, among others.

Within this context, C-EHRN’s monitoring activities have been embedded with increased urgency. Whilst the effects of these developments have been felt in nearly everyone’s life, people who use drugs, as well as other marginalised and underserved communities, have particularly and disproportionately experienced its negative consequences. Equally, harm reduction organizations in Europe have been put to the test.

In combination with advocacy, the application of civil society-led monitoring tools is crucial to hold governments accountable and to improve the care and support that people who use drugs receive and their environments.

Together with more than one hundred organizations and individuals from thirty-four European countries, C-EHRN set up for itself the task to provide an in-depth look at Harm Reduction in Europe. To this end, the annual 2022 Data Report focused on three main themes: harm reduction essential services, Hepatitis C, and new drug trends. In addition to the data collected, this year C-EHRN conducted in-depth interviews with all its Focal Points, allowing for a richer picture of the developments from last year.

Civil society monitoring of harm reduction in Europe 2022

The Eurasian Harm Reduction Association (EHRA) presents „Regional analysis of the provision of drug checking services in the Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia region“.

Illicit drug use in the Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia (CEECA) region continues to be a public health concern. The prevalence of opioids, new psychoactive substances (NPS) and amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS), including polydrug use (very often NPS combined with other traditional drugs), is observed not only among experienced drug users, but also among young people and other key populations. Injection is a common route of administration for opioids and NPS and the CEECA region has one of the highest prevalence of injecting drug use worldwide. Overdose remains highly underreported due to poor data collection and reporting mechanisms from the responsible agencies at local and national levels.

Repressive policies remain in place in relation to drug possession and supply which, in turn, affect the access and quality of harm reduction services and the implementation of novel interventions. The harm reduction philosophy is acknowledged by the vast majority of CEECA countries and recognised in national health and drug strategies. However, the harm reduction goals are mainly connected to HIV responses. The harm reduction infrastructure is mainly designed to cover the needs of people who use opioids and are not yet ready to cope with the problems of people who use NPS. Addressing the challenges of illicit drug use requires the implementation of effective and innovative strategies and interventions.

 are not only a harm reduction intervention but also a valuable monitoring mechanism that provides reliable data on the drug market, its changes and developments, supporting policymakers and public health experts to respond to newly emerging needs.

In the region, drug checking services are in the infantile phase, with small-scale interventions operating in several countries supported by the government or donor initiatives and private donations. They operate in a legal grey area, limited in terms of modes of operation, with staff not allowed to handle drugs and clients at risk of prosecution.

Overcoming barriers that impede the adoption, leverage and scaling-up of drug checking services requires a careful examination of the country’s political and social context. However, the evidence currently available suggests that drug checking services can be piloted and/or implemented in the CEECA region, taking into consideration some recommendations from countries where these programmes have been operating for many years.

Regional analysis of the provision of drug checking services in the CEECA region

This project intends to increase the capacity of youth-led organizations that engage in drug policy reform and young people to advocate at the European Union level. As the protection of young people is often sighted as one of the primary goals of drug policies, it is of the utmost importance that the youth voice is present in drug policy creation and implementation processes. Young people who use drugs are also a particularly vulnerable population as they are often dependent on families or the government for financial stability, housing, and education. As a highly vulnerable group, policies that are created to protect youth must be influenced by the insights that youth hold about drug use. 

To achieve our goal of increasing the capacity of youth-led organizations and young people to engage with EU drug policy, we organized a training series that equipped young people with the necessary knowledge, skills, connections, and strategy to be able to engage with the EU Drug Policy Creation process and create a youth-led dialogue around EU drug policies. 

This project intends to increase the capacity of youth-led organizations that engage in drug policy reform and young people to advocate at the European Union level. As the protection of young people is often sighted as one of the primary goals of drug policies, it is of the utmost importance that the youth voice is present in drug policy creation and implementation processes. Young people who use drugs are also a particularly vulnerable population as they are often dependent on families or the government for financial stability, housing, and education. 

As a highly vulnerable group, policies that are created to protect youth must be influenced by the insights that youth hold about drug use. 

This training has had a dual outcome of increasing the capacity of individuals and organizations to meaningfully engage with EU Drug Policy.