Decriminalisation, legal regulation & reform

Decriminalisation

Publications11 December 2025

Policing and access to harm reduction services among young people who use drugs and young Indigenous people who use drugs before and after the pilot implementation of decriminalization of personal possession

McAdam et al. examine how decriminalisation reduced policing-related barriers to services, revealing important benefits for young people, including Indigenous.

News11 December 2025

Dance for freedom: Rave revolution in front of the Hungarian Parliament

Thousands gathered to protest Hungary's escalating police harassment of musicians, clubs and young people.

News10 December 2025

New EU Drug Strategy risks undermining health, harm reduction and human rights - Joint letter by 84 civil society organisations

We join 83 organisations urging EU Member States to revise the proposed Drug Strategy and reject a trafficking-only Action Plan, to ensure harm reduction, health and human rights remain central to EU drug policy.

Publications1 December 2025

Overcoming disruption, transforming the AIDS response - 2025 World AIDS Day report

UNAIDS examines the threats facing the HIV response, including funding cuts, rising criminalisation, and growing gender-based violence, urging bold action to safeguard progress and build sustainable, community-led systems of care.

Publications16 October 2025

IDPC Progress Report 2024-2025

IDPC reflects on a year of resilience and change, driving decriminalisation, harm reduction, responsible regulation, and international drug policy reform while defending civil society and rights amid funding cuts and political turmoil.

News14 October 2025

Coca isn’t just for cocaine, Bolivia wants the world to know

Bolivia's campaign to remove the coca leaf from the list of the world’s most dangerous drugs highlights the plant's cultural, medicinal and economic importance — and its potential to reshape global drug policy.

Publications14 October 2025

Safer drug laws for Aotearoa New Zealand - Pragmatic, evidence-based recommendations for safer drug laws

The New Zealand Drug Foundation urges reform of outdated drug laws, calling for decriminalisation, Māori-led health approaches and investment in harm reduction to build safer, fairer, evidence-based policies for Aotearoa New Zealand.

Publications10 October 2025

It's not so simple: The impact of simple drug possession and trafficking offences on health equity

The HIV Legal Network argues that laws criminalising simple possession and drug trafficking entrench racism and stigma, deepen inequality, and endanger health and safety by pushing drug use into isolation and heightening the risk of overdose.

Publications6 October 2025

Safeguarding rights in EU drug policy - Contribution to the European Commission's call for evidence on the EU drugs strategy and action plan against drug trafficking

IDPC calls on the European Commission to ensure the next Strategy is balanced, evidence-based, and rights-centred, prioritising harm reduction, civil society participation, and policy innovation over punitive approaches.

News30 September 2025

‘Who wouldn’t want pure cocaine?’: the radical plan to prevent overdoses with better drugs

As overdose deaths soar, Vancouver’s Drug User Liberation Front challenges prohibition itself, arguing the real crisis isn’t drug use but unsafe supply and systemic inequality

News30 September 2025

United States: The new war on weed

Local governments that have regulated cannabis face the challenge of enforcing commercial restrictions on unlicensed premises.

News30 September 2025

Reimagining drug policy with compassion and justice

Successful drug policies replace punishment with support and control with care—rooted in dignity, justice, and the leadership of people and communities most affected.

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