Record drug seizures, falling retail prices and overcrowded prisons expose the failure of punitive drug control across South-East Asia and strengthen the case for decriminalisation.
Ghana is moving to realise the promises of the 2020 drug law reform, prioritising a health and rights approach, and offering alternatives to conviction and incarceration.
The law imposes mandatory prison sentences on people repeatedly charged for drug use, deepening poverty and marginalisation, while failing to address health issues.
Criminal penalties for drug use and possession continue to drive prison overcrowding and coercive treatment in Thailand, undermining health, dignity and access to care.
This Wise Wednesday webinar covers what the decriminalisation of drugs for personal use could look like in South Africa, and how it can advance health and human rights.
EECA communities and civil society call on governments to ensure that the 2026 Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS protects community-led responses, removes punitive barriers, and sustains harm reduction.
Community-led harm reduction education in the Philippines seeks to replace fear-based drug narratives with evidence, empathy and respect for the rights of people who use drugs.
IHRNGO and ECPM report that executions in Iran reached their highest recorded level since 1989 , with drug-related offences accounting for nearly half of all known executions.
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.
