South Asia

News17 January 2023

Sri Lankan MPs: Reject the Bureau of Rehabilitation Bill

The bill would translate into increasing human rights abuses in the name of drug control, including through the involvement of the military in treatment and the expansion of compulsory detention.

Publications30 November 2022

Killing in the name of the war on drugs: a special section from the 1st Asian regional meeting of the ISSDP

This collection of essays puts into sharp relief that state-sanctioned and extrajudicial killings in the name of drug control have less to do with preserving cultural values and more to do with preserving political power.

Publications30 November 2022

Afghan women and the opiate trade

UNODC characterises the conditions and dynamics underlying women's participation in the criminalised opiate trade.

Events

Launch of the UNODC report on Afghan women and the opiate trade

Online / Vienna, Austria

7 November 2022

The launch is an opportunity for a dialogue on the current level of understanding of Afghan women’s experiences within the opiate trade, as well as the research gaps and policy implications.

News18 October 2022

Sri Lanka: Draft ‘rehabilitation’ law would spur abuse

The bill would give authorities sweeping powers to arbitrarily detain and torture people who use drugs and almost anyone else.

News21 September 2022

IDPC recruits part-time Communications Consultant

IDPC Asia is looking for a part-time Communications Consultant to support our communications work.

News18 May 2022

The drug trade now flourishing in Afghanistan: Meth

Long a hub for opium production, the country has now seen vastly increased production of meth from native ephedra plants in the wake of economic and political crisis, spiking fears of increased meth use disorders both domestically and abroad.

News3 May 2022

Marijuana in Nepal: As the government is opening medicinal use, activists renew pressure for commercialisation

The government has mulled moves toward the development of medicinal cannabis legislation, building on activists' efforts to reduce stigma and enact industrial, medicinal and recreational uses.

News20 April 2022

Will 2022 signal sea change in the death penalty for drugs?

The imposition of death sentences is shrouded in secrecy and characterised by human rights violations.

News23 March 2022

India police accused of brutal killings in ‘zero tolerance’ drug crackdown

The 'war on drugs' in the state of Assam follows on the footsteps of other violent and deadly policing-focused initiatives in the region and beyond.

Events

FB Live Chat: Decriminalisation in India

Facebook Live

21 February 2022 - 6 July 2022

Following the launch of IDPC's new Guide to Advocacy for #Decriminalisation Gloria Lai hosts a live chat series with #DrugDecrim advocates around the world.

Events

Launch of UNODC & UNAIDS joint publication on compulsory drug treatment

Online

9 January 2022

Consisting of three booklets, the report documents progress and case examples of the transition from compulsory facilities for people who use drugs to voluntary community-based treatment, harm reduction and support services in the region.

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