Decriminalisation, legal regulation & reform

Decriminalisation

Publications4 October 2024

UN CESCR reports reveal drug policy and harm reduction shortcomings in seven countries

Recent UN CESCR observations on a seven countries emphasise the need for rights- and health-based drug policies, including decriminalisation and access to harm reduction.

News2 October 2024

Ireland: GPs and pharmacists support removal of criminal sanctions for drug users

The Irish College of General Practitioners and the Irish Pharmacy Union said that drug use should be decriminalised and paired with health-based interventions to combat rising rates of drug-related death.

News2 October 2024

Canada: Drug decriminalisation is under attack

Communities must unite against the political weaponisation of the overdose crisis and defend human-rights-focused solutions such as decriminalisation and harm reduction.

News2 October 2024

Thailand decides not to re-criminalise cannabis as it eyes $1bn medicinal industry

The proposed system would restrict access beyond medicinal use.

Publications2 October 2024

Visit to Mexico - Report of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention

The expert group recommended the government abandons the punitive approach to drug use and dealing, and seek alternatives to detention.

Publications1 October 2024

Criminal legal system engagement among people who use drugs in Oregon following decriminalization of drug possession

Smiley-McDonald et al. find that despite decriminalisation, people who use drugs in Oregon continued to face high levels of policing, incarceration and drug seizures, whilst awareness of decriminalisation remained low.

News1 October 2024

Mauritius: Support. Don't Punish Conference report 2024

Collectif Urgence Toxida (CUT) report the outcomes of the Support. Don't Punish 2024 Conference in Mauritius, which unpacked harm reduction strategies, called for urgent drug policy reform in the nation and highlighted decriminalisation best practices.

News26 September 2024

Decriminalising drug use can help save lives, redirect resources for infectious diseases, says Malaysia deputy health minister

Deputy Minister Lukanisman said decriminalisation challenges stigma, facilitates access to health services, and tackles social injustice and called on international leaders to consider this policy.

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.

Publications16 September 2024

The false promises of Oregon’s drug recriminalisation - Factsheet

Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) explains the decriminalisation model in Oregon, its reversal after a misinformation campaign, and the costs and harms of recriminalisation.

Publications12 September 2024

Drug decriminalization, fentanyl, and fatal overdoses in Oregon

Zoorob et al. reveal fentanyl as a large driver of the US overdose epidemic, whilst dispelling misconceptions about the effect of Oregon's drug decriminalisation policies on rises in mortality and overdose rates.

Events

Legal reforms in Southeast Asia - Drugs and decriminalisation in Asia webinar series

Online

25 September 2024

This webinar aims to provide updates on recent legal reforms towards decriminalisation, and to discuss how they might support efforts towards harm reduction and human rights objectives.

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