This Topic Overview looks at the UN system, the EU’s system of pan-European control, and finally gives a table outlining the similarities and differences of the national systems in the EU and Norway.
The 2011 amendment of the Polish drug law was a good first step, but a lot more has to be done to help people dependent on drugs and strengthen the effectiveness of the country's harm reduction efforts.
A new report from a renowned Mexican crime analyst says that 71.5 percent of the nation’s municipalities are under criminal control. But the reality of illicit activity can hardly be described through a simple label like “control”.
This year has seen a dramatic rise in the number of people – many impoverished – who are executed for drug offences in Iran, Amnesty International said in a new report.
Drug-court program participation was generally associated with lower recidivism. GAO's analysis of evaluations reporting recidivism data for 32 programs showed that drug-court program participants were generally less likely to be re-arrested than comparison group members drawn from criminal…
Russian State authorities are intentionally causing a large group of people (about 1.7 million) severe physical pain, suffering and humiliation with the purpose of punishing them for using drugs, and to intimidate and coerce them into withdrawal.
Through in-depth research in five of Mexico’s most violent states, Human Rights Watch found evidence that strongly suggests the participation of security forces in more than 170 cases of torture, 39 “disappearances,” and 24 extrajudicial killings since Calderón took office in December…
In this landmark study, Harm Reduction International finds that over forty states apply some type of judicial corporal punishment for alcohol and drug offenders.
A total of 31 people attended and comprised a mixture of domestic and international policy officials, the judiciary, and practitioners as well as representatives from non-governmental organisations and academic institutions. Four themes were covered over the course of the day: the…
The UK Drug Policy Commission released a report of its findings from a survey of English police forces on the impacts of budget cuts on drug-related policing activities.
This is a comprehensive assessment of the threat posed to the United States by the trafficking and abuse of illicit drugs. It was prepared through detailed analysis of the most recent law enforcement, intelligence, and public health data available to the National Drug Intelligence Center through…
The US Multi-Site Adult Drug Court Evaluation tested whether drug courts reduce drug use, crime, and associated problems; assessed how drug courts work and for whom; examined how changes in participant attitudes and perceptions explain effectiveness; and analysed cost savings.
Tackling substance dependence through treatment instead of punishment is still one of the most critical issues in Lebanon. In 2008, Skoun, Lebanese Addiction Center, launched the project "For a Greater Respect for the Rights of Drug Addicts" to analyse why the 1998 law (which provides for…
These briefings address serious human rights abuses that result from drug control efforts, including torture and ill treatment by police, mass incarceration, extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detention, and denial of essential medicines and basic health services. The briefings are now available in…
Over the past 40 years, the number of people in US prisons has increased by more than 600%. On 1 January 2008, one of every 100 adults were behind bars. The medical profession has the chance both to advocate for changes in the criminal justice system to reduce the number of people behind bars …
The TNI-EMCDDA Expert Seminar on Threshold Quantities reflected on the advantages and disadvantages of threshold quantities as a policy and legislative tool and it was hoped that this seminar would provide a springboard to inform current debate and to assist the elaboration of evidence-based drug…
