Through participatory workshops, activists, policymakers and farmers collectively envisioned models of legal regulation for industrial hemp, medical and adult-use cannabis.
A heroin drought would create fertile ground for the proliferation of riskier synthetic opioids, which adds to the value of investing in a regulated safe supply for all who need it.
The impacts of the ‘war on drugs’ on environmental, Indigenous, and human rights create space for drug policy reform advocates to deepen solidarity with people resisting on the ground.
UNODC provides insights into a booming market, highlighting a 35% increase in the global production of cocaine following an initial slowdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ongoing political turmoil has halted government plans to purchase vast quantities of illicitly grown coca, leaving the market in the hands of organised crime.
UNODC reports historical high levels of coca cultivation and potential coca production and offers insights into this increase, including as related to conditions of poverty and limited market access opportunities in rural areas of cultivation.
Contrary to prohibition, which favours higher potency products in the interest of maximising profits, legal regulation can ensure a careful balance to protect public health.
Ghana's recent drug law reform goes back to the floor for amendments, offering an opportunity to further its alignment with human rights and social inclusion.