North America

Publications1 January 1970

'Disrupt and vilify': The war on immigrants inside the US war on drugs

The Drug Policy Alliance and Human Rights Watch presents recommendations on immigration and drug laws that disproportionately affect migrants

Publications22 September 2026

Killing “narco-terrorists” at sea: The legality of military attacks on criminal groups and drug trafficking under international human rights law and other applicable international law

The UN Special Rapporteur concludes that US military attacks against people suspected of drug trafficking cannot be justified under international law and may constitute crimes against humanity.

News9 September 2026

United States: Louise Vincent’s legacy and the future of drug user organising

One year after Louise Vincent’s death, the drug user movement she helped build is reckoning with the loss of a visionary organiser who championed harm reduction, human rights and the collective power of people who use drugs.

News2 September 2026

United States: UN experts demand end to unlawful killings at sea, as one-year death toll hits 223

UN experts condemn US military strikes on suspected drug-trafficking vessels, stressing that enforcement responses to trafficking are governed by human rights law.

Events

The U.S. 'war on drugs' meets the 'war on terror': Lawless killings overseas while communities suffer at home

New York City, United States

2 September 2026

As the US intensifies its militarised approach to drug policy in the name of 'narcoterrorism', the Drug Policy Alliance and the Center for Constitutional Rights discuss how this framing legitimises state violence and undermines human rights.

Events

Responding to police in health service settings: Know your rights, protect your clients

Online

13 August 2026

The event offers practical tools for health and harm reduction service providers in British Columbia to protect clients’ rights and reduce unwanted police interference.

Publications29 July 2026

Killing Spree: Extrajudicial executions in the U.S. boat strikes campaign

WOLA documents how the US' lethal bombing campaign amounts to extrajudicial execution, has had little impact on cocaine trafficking, and demands an immediate end and accountability.

Publications22 July 2026

Estimated effect of decriminalization on opioid overdose mortality rates in Oregon, USA

Gilmour et al. find no statistically observable impact of Oregon’s drug decriminalisation policy on opioid overdose mortality, challenging claims that the reform caused the state’s rise in deaths.

News28 May 2026

More than 120 organizations demand an end to the complicity of third countries in US extrajudicial killings in the Caribbean

The global coalition argues that the US's attacks on small boats are illegal under international law and devastating to the ecnomies of coastal communities.

News18 May 2026

How the Trump White House works against itself in its efforts to prevent overdoses

Contradictory policy moves, including restrictions on harm reduction policy, risk weakening evidence-based responses to overdose.

News13 May 2026

‘We were terrified they were going to kill us’: fishers who survived US boat strike speak out

Amid mounting concern over extrajudicial killings and abuses carried out in the name of the 'war on drugs', survivors' stories underscore the deadly risk of the US campaign against 'narcoterrorism'.

Publications12 May 2026

Anti-Latine bias and drug-induced homicide law support: Evidence from a nationally diverse, randomized survey experiment in the United States

Gannon et al. find that anti-Latine bias can increase public support for punitive drug-induced homicide laws in the United States, underscoring how racialised assumptions continue to shape drug policy.

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