Coca, cocaine & related

Publications26 February 2025

Righting a historical wrong: The UN review of the international status of the coca leaf

IDPC provides background information on the scheduling of the coca leaf in the international drug control treaties, outlines the ECDD coca review process, and makes the human rights case for the removal of the plant from the treaty schedules.

News12 February 2025

Switzerland: Geneva’s fightback against crack cocaine making inroads

By lifting barriers and their service to be more inclusive, harm reduction programmes have supported health and safety for all.

Events

Understanding the coca leaf review process: A conversation with experts about the cultural and scientific value of the coca plant and the WHO review process

New York, United States / Online

31 January 2025

The event will explore the cultural, scientific, and policy dimensions of the coca WHO review process.

Publications14 November 2024

After the war on drugs: The impacts of cocaine and cannabis regulation in Rio de Janeiro

GI-TOC explores legal regulation's potential to diminish the power held by organised crime groups, mitigate violence and reduce incarceration.

News13 November 2024

Coca leaf review: a reckoning for global drug control — IDPC statement at the 2024 CND thematic discussions

IDPC calls on the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) to right a historical wrong by supporting the critical review of the coca leaf and ultimately approve its descheduling.

News13 October 2024

Indigenous rights, knowledge and expertise should be centred in coca leaf review - IDPC statement to the 47th WHO ECDD

IDPC calls on WHO's Expert Committee on Drug Dependence (ECDD) to rectify the historical error of the coca leaf scheduling, affirming Indigenous rights, and ensuring their involvement throughout the review process.

News26 September 2024

Reimagining the drug war amid rising coca cultivation in Central America

Responding to expanding coca cultivation in Central America with policies like forced eradication could create potential devasting harm for communities and ecological systems.

News23 September 2024

Descheduling the coca leaf is a step toward decolonising drug policy - Statement at HRC57 panel discussion on the rights of Indigenous Peoples

The decision to include the coca leaf in the 1961 Single Convention was mired in colonialist and racist bias.

Publications28 February 2024

Popular media misinformation on neonatal abstinence syndrome, 2015–2021

McCreedy et. al. explore a prevalent form of media misinformation on drugs, providing insights on its links with punitive responses.

News31 January 2024

Amsterdam mayor calls for regulation of cocaine as crime thrives

For the mayor, the legal regulation of criminalised drug markets is a question of governance, safety and health.

Publications19 December 2023

Caring for coca, living with chemicals: Towards ecological harm reduction

Rhodes. et al. shine a light on the criminalised coca trade through the lens of ‘ecological harm reduction’, inviting reflection on practices of care for humans, other living things, and environments, in contexts of structural violence.

News1 December 2023

WHO officially launches procedures for critical review of coca leaf

The WHO undertook to ensure that the review would not be delayed and Bolivia's Vice-resident stressed the importance of a comprehensive process, including due attention to traditional uses.

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