“The end of the war on drugs, as this is a war on people, is necessary. I urge all states to be centred on dignity, public health and human rights.”

Dr Tlaleng Mofokeng, UN Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, 56th Session of the Human Rights Council, 24th June 2024

Today, on 26th June, thousands of activists are taking to the streets in over 290 cities, across 80+ countries, to mark the 

12th Support. Don’t Punish Global Day of Action

 and will loudly echo the grave and welcome call from the current UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health, Dr Mofokeng made just two days ago as she 

Drug use, harm reduction and the right to health’

 to the Human Rights Council in Geneva. With this seminal publication, she joins the ranks of a growing number of 

 who have raised the alarm on repressive and punitive drug laws, citing systematic and widespread abuses of human rights. In fact today, an unprecedented 21 special procedures of the Human Rights Council have released a 

“The UN, Member States and the international community as a whole should shift from punishment towards support, through a gender-responsive harm reduction approach, the decriminalisation of drug use and related activities, and the responsible regulation of all drugs to eliminate profits from illegal trafficking, criminality and violence.”

Dr Mofokeng’s report, which centres harm reduction (including ending criminalisation) in protecting and promoting public health while contributing to the realisation of human rights is extremely timely. Earlier this year, at the 67th Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), member states adopted the first ever 

 to explicitly mention ‘harm reduction’, ending the senseless taboo on the term and 

. This CND was also the first time that a High Commissioner for Human Rights attended in person. In his 

, Volker Türk made it clear: ‘After decades of following a largely punitive approach, we can see this simply is not working’.

The 26th of June is also the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking – which is when the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) launches its annual 

. It is always an impressive document that provides a huge array of data on global trends in drug markets, as well as an analysis of the various policies in place to address the ‘world drug problem’. But this report has long been criticised 

 and others for failing to highlight the 

 of punitive drug control, and for refusing to condemn responses that have clearly undermined the health, well-being, safety and security of communities affected by prohibition in all corners of the world.

There was some level of expectation that this year might be different. Firstly, it was understood that there would be a thematic chapter focusing on the right to health. This theme is particularly pertinent in the midst of the ongoing overdose crisis and the fact that people who inject drugs are 14 times more likely to acquire HIV than the general population. Secondly, as mentioned earlier, the CND, UNODC’s governing body, had finally accepted the term ‘harm reduction’ in a resolution led by the agency’s biggest funder, the United States (in response to a toxic drug supply that has resulted in some 500,000 deaths in the past five years). Finally, this year’s World Drug Report follows hot on the heels of Dr Mofokeng’s report and could certainly have echoed some of the messaging given her role as a global authority on the right to health.

UNODC ignores the flurry of evidence on other essential harm reduction services – including drug checking, overdose prevention centres, as well as housing, employment and education, all explicitly discussed in the report of the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health.

Spoiler alert….. the chapter, titled ‘the right to health in the framework of drug use’, is deeply disappointing and lacks credibility from a human rights standpoint. Not least among the most problematic aspects of the chapter is the failure to explicitly use the term ‘harm reduction’, which is curious given the resolution which was 

supported by the great majority of CND members

 (38 states in favour, 2 against and 6 abstentions). Instead of recognising harm reduction as an essential pillar of drug policy and critical to ensuring the right to health, these measures are included as part of drug treatment services, and limited to the comprehensive package of HIV prevention, treatment and care interventions for people who inject drugs. In so doing, the UNODC ignores the flurry of evidence on other essential harm reduction services – including drug checking, overdose prevention centres, as well as housing, employment and education, all explicitly discussed in the report of the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health.

The UNODC also demonstrates how drastically out of step it is with the general UN system position in failing to clearly acknowledge how the criminalisation and punishment of people who use drugs drives stigma, discrimination and undermines the right to health. In fact, the chapter seems to suggest that there is no need to reconsider the international approach to drug control, when concluding that ‘The goal of fulfilling the right to health, as articulated in this chapter, does not preclude or contradict the goals of reducing illicit supply and demand of drugs, or with the functioning of the international drug control system’. This denial is also at odds with the increasing recognition by UN Member States that a serious review of the UN drug control regime is needed (see the 

 of 62 countries led by Colombia at the 67th Session of the CND).

Finally, in failing to adequately centre the chapter on the 

populations that are often stigmatised and discriminated against in the context of drug use and the enforcement of drug laws and policies

 (as Dr Mofokeng has done in her report) UNODC risks further stigmatising people who use drugs. Stating that “Drug use may negatively impact families and entire communities” (pg 133) is deeply problematic, as this fuels a dangerous and false narrative that any drug use creates harm in the wider community. This framing could be used to justify the criminalisation of people who use drugs with the aim of protecting communities by creating a ‘drug-free society’. This formulation is not new. It has been used regularly by various Member States in UN drug debates over the years and it is concerning to see UNODC’s attempts to legitimise it.

This chapter has been a true missed opportunity by UNODC to realign itself the emerging UN consensus that urgent policy reforms are overdue, and to unequivocally support harm reduction and decriminalisation. Its reticence to do so costs lives.

There can be no doubt that international drug policy is at a crossroads and it is hard to imagine that a moment of reckoning is not drawing nearer. The billions spent on law enforcement each year to stem the illegal drug trade have had no impact in reducing the scale of the market. In fact, the rest of the World Drug Report is a sobering read towards this end - a chronicle of the robustness, diversity and exponentially increasing nature of the global drug market. The human suffering caused by the ‘war on drugs’ is the urgent impetus to change course and this is no time for denial. 

On this 26th June, we stand in solidarity with all the activists marking the Support. Don’t Punish global day of action - and say enough is enough. It is time to end the ‘war on drugs’.

World Drugs Day 2024: Human rights and harm reduction take centre stage while UN drugs agency grapples with denial



Organised by Austria, Australia, Colombia, South Africa, Switzerland and the Global Commission on Drug Policy

On the occasion of the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking and following the launching of the World Drug Report 2024 by UNODC, which contains a chapter on the right to health, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health will present her report on “

Drug policies and responses: a right to health framework on harm reduction

” in Vienna to share her findings and recommendations. The discussion will allow to explore the impact of drugs laws and policies, as well as harm reduction and the right to health.

NGOs interested in attending the event, especially those based in Vienna, are are requested to send the name and other details to the

 The Permanent Mission will facilitate access to the Vienna International Centre (VIC) where needed.

Ambassador Laura Gil, Permanent Representative of Colombia to the United Nations in Vienna (Opening and Closing Remarks).

Dr. Tlaleng Mofokeng, Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.

Ambassador Gabriela Sellner, Permanent Representative of Austria to the United Nations in Vienna.

Ambassador Raphael Nägeli, Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the United Nations in Vienna.

Mr. Jean-Luc Lemahieu, Director of the Division for Policy Analysis and Public Affairs at UNODC.

Mr. Michel Kazatchkine, Professor of medicine, former Executive Director of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and Commissioner from the Global Commission on Drug Policy

A representative of the International Network of People who Use Drugs (tbc)

Drug policies and responses: a right to health framework on harm reduction - High-level side event

Interactive Dialogue with the UN Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health

Statement delivered by the International Drug Policy Consortium

On behalf of IDPC, alongside various other organisations, we congratulate the UN Special Rapporteur on the publication of her new report on ‘Drug use, harm reduction and the right to health’. The evidence presented in this report is clear: Stigma, discrimination, criminalisation and racism have had devastating impacts on the right to health of people who use drugs, in particular on people facing multiple and intersecting layers of vulnerability.

We welcome the recommendations of the Special Rapporteur to move away from criminal law and move towards an anti-colonial, human rights-based, harm reduction approach to drug use. In particular, and echoing the report’s recommendations, we urge member states to:

Ensure access to harm reduction for all, as well as ensure sustainable funding for these critical interventions.

Remove criminal sanctions and other forms of punishment for drug use, possession, purchase and cultivation of drugs for personal use as a matter of priority. People who use drugs should be given support, not punishment.

Move towards alternative regulatory approaches that put people’s health and rights front and centre, as has also been recommended by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in its 2023 report.

We call on Member States to meaningfully involve civil society and communities in all aspects of drug policy and harm reduction.

Finally, we encourage the Special Rapporteur to continue her critical work in promoting human rights-centred drug policies, and look forward to her next report on harm reduction.

Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales (CELS), Argentina

From criminalisation to harm reduction, health and rights - IDPC statement at the interactive dialogue with the UNSR on the right to health

The report referred to below, 'Drug use, harm reduction and the right to health', by the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health, is accessible here.

GENEVA (24 June 2024) – A UN independent expert today called for an end to the ‘war on drugs’, asking States to move towards harm reduction in drug policies.

 to the Human Rights Council, Tlaleng Mofokeng, UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health, focused on drug use, harm reduction and the right to health. The report explores how harm reduction relates to both drug use and drug use disorders, as well as to drug laws and policies, aiming to analyse and address the related outcomes that adversely impact the enjoyment of the right to health.

“The enforcement of drug laws and policies compounds other forms of discrimination and disproportionately affects certain individuals, such as persons in situations of homelessness or poverty, persons with mental health issues, sex workers, women, children, LGBTIQA+ persons, Black persons, Indigenous Peoples, migrants, persons who are incarcerated or detained, persons with disabilities, persons living with HIV, tuberculosis or hepatitis, and persons living in rural areas,” Mofokeng told the Council. “International drug control conventions have negatively affected the availability, accessibility, acceptability and quality of certain drugs used as medicines.”

The report indicates that the concept of harm reduction has been primarily developed in the context of drug use and refers to policies, programmes and practices that are aimed at minimising negative health, social and legal impacts associated with drug use, drug policies and drug laws. It also stresses that States have an obligation to implement evidence-based interventions to minimise the adverse health and risks and harms associated with drug use.

In her report, the Special Rapporteur seeks to provide recommendations on how, at the domestic level, States should be centred on dignity, public health and human rights, as well as ground interventions in the best available evidence, free from conflicts of interest.

Mofokeng highlights that ending criminalisation, stigmatisation and discrimination which represent structural barriers to accessing services will improve access to information, goods, services and facilities.

“Global advocacy and high-level statements of intent must be put into action to uphold the right to dignity,” she said, adding that “civil society participation is key”.

“All stakeholders must respect people who use drugs, people with drug use disorders and people whose health and well-being is affected by drug laws and policies,” the Special Rapporteur said.

She also noted the importance of moving towards substantive equality by paying particular attention to the disproportionate impact of drug laws, policies and policing.

Statement by the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health

Interactive Dialogue with the UN Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health - 56th session of the Human Rights Council

Statement by the UN Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health

Mr President, drugs have been part of human history for 1000s of years, whether for medical healing, religious and cultural ceremonies, or as commodities for pleasure, it is crucial to distinguish drug use and drug use disorders. Drug use is not a medical condition. The majority of people who use drugs do not have dependency and do not require treatment. Drug use disorders, including drug dependency, are a medical condition, thus requiring appropriate support and treatment from a right to health perspective. Together, the social, political, commercial and legal determinants of health can create and reinforce health disparities.

With that in mind, I focus on how the availability, accessibility, acceptability and quality of care is affected by punitive approaches. I explored in this report how drug control compounds and disproportionately affects certain rights and individuals. We must examine the underlying power structures that perpetuate these systems of disadvantage, that have outlived colonialism, but continue to shape the underlying dynamics of both drug use and how states respond to it. The intersection of criminal law, health and human rights is multifaceted. The failure to adopt a human rights based approach to addressing drug use has had a negative impact, especially on those in situations of homelessness, poverty, people with mental health conditions, sex workers, women, children, LGBTQA+ persons, Black people, Indigenous Peoples, migrants, persons who are incarcerated or detained, persons with disabilities, those living with HIV and people living in rural areas.

Regulatory frameworks need to be cohesively developed by states in a way that is dependent on scientific evidence and considered power asymmetries, and without undue influence from corporations.

Criminalization is but a single and extreme option within a regulatory spectrum. Regulatory frameworks need to be cohesively developed by states in a way that is dependent on scientific evidence and considered power asymmetries, and without undue influence from corporations. 

Mr President, women who use drugs are also subject to higher rates of violence, thus integration of harm reduction services with those for gender based violence, sexual and reproductive health is required. About one in 10 new HIV infections result from drug use by injection. Yet over 92 countries have criminal laws relating to HIV. I urge all states to adhere to human rights principles when negotiating the resolution on human rights in the context of HIV and AIDS.

For both conflict and non conflict emergency situations, access to controlled medicines is a key element to the right to health, including anaesthesia during medical procedures and for the management of various health conditions. In this context of harm reduction, my upcoming report to the General Assembly in October 2024, will delve deeper into the themes of sustainable peace and security and sustainable development. All people rely on essential, controlled medicines for pain management, for opioid dependence treatment, for palliative care and other health conditions at some point in their life. Given the discriminatory perceptions of pain and who deserves pain relief, this leads to a failure to ensure access to essential medicines for pain relief and drug use disorders, and threatens the realisation of the right to health and the freedom from cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment.

Although not in this present report, I will also pay attention to the current developments and advice on these trends of using the courts in spheres of medicine other than those related to drug use. For example, those seeking to restrict medicines for the management of medical abortions, causing harm to the practice of medicine by unfairly restricting essential medicines, contrary to WHO evidence based guidelines and essential drug lists.

Mr President and distinguished delegates, harm reduction includes a wide range of policies and programmes and practice that are aimed at minimising negative health, social and legal impacts associated with drug use and drug laws and policies. They work best when they are tailored to the intersecting needs of individuals and communities aimed to serve them. Some practical harm reduction measures that numerous states have already begun implementing include needle and syringe programmes, opioid agonist therapy, drug consumption rooms and supervised injection facilities, drug checking, overdose prevention and reversal, housing, employment and education and sustainable funding for programmes. And I will take an opportunity later during this dialogue to explain in more detail these concepts.

 The end on the war on drugs, as this is a war on people, is necessary. I urge all states to be centred on dignity, public health and human rights.

Harm reduction measures also focus on the removal of criminal penalties for drug offences, including for, but not limited to, use or possession; and is a way of reducing the negative impacts of punitive drug policies on the right to health in particular. I support the full decriminalisation of drug use, and evidence from jurisdictions that have taken a decriminalisation approach demonstrate that adopting less punitive policies does not result in an increase in drug use or drug related harms or other crimes. The end on the war on drugs, as this is a war on people, is necessary. I urge all states to be centred on dignity, public health and human rights. Harm reduction is an approach which will improve trust and dialogue, creativity and innovation in this urgent moment of a paradigm shift that is needed.

UN expert calls for end to the ‘war on drugs’

A recent report by Dr. Tlaleng Mofokeng, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to health, titled 

Drug Use, Harm Reduction and the Right to Health

 provides a thorough analysis of human rights protection within drug policy and emphasizes the preservation of Traditional Indigenous Medicines. The report offers extensive recommendations with far-reaching implications for public health policy and the rights of historically marginalized communities.

The report highlights several important recommendations, including responsible regulation and decriminalization of ancestral medicine practices. The proposals and their potential implications are as follows:

 Move towards responsible regulatory frameworks and advocate for legal regulations of species and substances controlled by international conventions. This approach aims to reduce the harms associated with the unregulated market and ensure safe and controlled access.

 End discriminatory practices and requirements that impede access to health services. This recommendation is crucial to ensure that all people, regardless of their origin or socioeconomic status, can access the care they need without bureaucratic barriers that hinder their right to life.

 Consider the specific needs of marginalized populations. Recognizing and addressing these needs can make the difference between an inclusive public health policy and one that perpetuates exclusion and inequality.

 Politically support and continuously fund peer-led initiatives that are essential to harm reduction. These initiatives are based on the lived experience of the individuals involved and offer more effective and empathetic approaches to prevention and treatment.

 Ensure that laws do not perpetuate various kinds of oppression, such as racism and colonialism. This includes the need to review and reform legislation that criminalizes plant medicine practices and disproportionately affects marginalized communities.

 Decriminalize the use, possession, purchase, and cultivation of substances for personal consumption. Criminalization of personal use has proven ineffective and harmful. It also perpetuates stigma and maintains barriers to healthcare access.

 Revise the international legal framework on drug control to reflect human rights and public health perspectives, rather than those based on repression and punishment.

Relevance in the Globalization of Traditional Indigenous Medicines

The document starts off with a revealing statement, “Drugs have been a part of human history for thousands of years, whether for medicinal healing, religious and cultural ceremonies or as commodities for pleasure.” This opening line highlights the importance and diversity of the relationship with these substances over time and recognizes their role in traditional medicine, spirituality, and the search for pleasurable experiences. Among the Rapporteur’s suggestions, one stands out in particular for its relevance to advocacy work regarding traditional practices. The conclusions and recommendations section stipulates the following:

“On the basis of the principles of equality and non-discrimination, transparency, participation and accountability, the Special Rapporteur recommends that States:

[…] Recognize the cultural and medicinal uses of plants and flora for their rich diversity beyond western medical paradigms by protecting the rights of Black people, Indigenous Peoples and people of African descent to grow, access and use such plants and flora without extraction and depletion by industries […].”

This recommendation emphasizes the importance of protecting the rights of Indigenous communities to continue practicing their traditions without exploitation and depletion by large corporations. As a result, it is deeply aligned with the mission to integrate traditional medicines into society and preserve the cultures that cherish them.

The recognition by the United Nations of traditional plant medicine practices beyond Western medical paradigms opens a vital space for integrating ancestral knowledge into the societies of the Global North. Furthermore, it protects the right of these communities to cultivate and work with their plants to ensure the continuity of practices that are fundamental to preserving their identity. This in turn can create greater community cohesion and enhance well-being.

In addition, the recommendation to prevent the extraction and depletion of resources by large corporations directly addresses the power dynamics that often lead to the exploitation and dispossession of local communities’ natural resources. This approach promotes a more equitable and sustainable vision for development that respects the sovereignty of communities and their resources and territories. All of this is within the framework of the right to enjoy the highest possible level of physical and mental health.

The Special Rapporteur’s report represents a significant advance in the recognition of the cultural and medicinal rights of plant medicine. According to Dr. Constanza Sánchez Avilés, Director of Law, Policy and Human Rights at ICEERS, “These recommendations reinforce our commitment to protecting ethnobotanical practices and defending the rights of Indigenous communities, as well as much of the litigation work we have been doing to 

 who travel with their traditional medicines.”

“We will continue to work to integrate these practices into society in a fair and sustainable way, ensuring that global policies reflect and respect the richness and diversity of cultural traditions,” Constanza added.

ICEERS’ work focuses on developing a deeper understanding and greater acceptance of Traditional Indigenous Medicines. Our mission also advocates for policies that promote social justice and respect cultural diversity. This report by the United Nations not only validates our ongoing educational and community service efforts, but also provides a solid framework to continue advancing our mission.

The United Nations calls for the protection of traditional knowledge

The International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC), a global network of 196 members from 75 countries, has submitted the following four main recommendations and observations to the Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug Threats to support their work to generate actions and collaboration in response to the rise in synthetic drug markets. These submissions have been made via the open call coordinated by the Vienna and New York NGO Committees on Drugs.

Firstly, efforts to raise awareness of a fast-growing synthetic opioid overdose crisis must prioritise better data collection around the issue. It is a significant failing of UNODC and the World Drug Reports, that 2019 global data (around 500,000 drug-related deaths per year) are still being reported in 2023. In contrast, the 

IDPC ‘Shadow Report’ for the midterm review in 2024

 highlights how out-dated this number likely is: available regional and national data point to an alarming rise, with more than 100,000 overdose deaths in 2022 in the USA alone. Better data will also clarify that this is a problem caused by fentanyl and other high-potency synthetic opioids – and not by tramadol and other synthetic drugs that are targeted by some governments, especially in Africa. Furthermore, data should be disaggregated by age, gender, ethnicity and socio-economic status, as preliminary research from civil society shows the disproportionate impacts of overdose poisoning deaths on people of African descent and people living in poverty.

Linked to the above, and building on the groundbreaking 

, this crisis has to be seen first and foremost as a health crisis that requires a robust, evidence-based health response. It requires greater access to, and funding for, essential and lifesaving harm reduction and treatment services: widespread access to naloxone (including peer distribution), drug checking services, needle and syringe programmes, overdose prevention sites / drug consumption rooms, low threshold access to opioid antagonist treatment, as well as safer supply programmes. These are the strongest lines of defence we have against escalating death rates. Energy and resources must not be misspent on scaling up punitive responses, law enforcement or the stigmatisation of drug use – these will simply keep people from accessing help, and place them more at risk.

Thirdly, the rhetoric around the response to rising synthetic drug use and supply continues to omit one key reality: these high-risk changes to drug markets are a direct result of the international drug control system itself. As early as 2008, UNODC acknowledged “unintended consequences” of the system they oversee – including a lucrative, global criminal market, the treatment of people who use drugs as criminals, and “substance displacement” which was even back then identified as the cause of “

the increasing popularity of synthetic drugs

”. Government attempts to arrest, incarcerate and punish as a way to overcome the overdose crisis are doomed to fail, and will simply be fuelling stigmatising, ill-informed mantras at the cost of human lives. Responding to the overdose crisis also requires decriminalising drug use and related activities, to remove all sanctions against people who use drugs - as well as the consideration of responsible regulation for all drugs - 

 among others. This crisis should also be an opening for serious, honest international debate about how to modernise an out-dated drug control system to respond effectively to the current realities.

Finally, with the Global Coalition initiative set to end in 2024, it is essential that 

 is included in all future efforts. NGOs, and especially those with lived experience, have an irreplaceable role to play in designing, implementing and evaluating the response at all levels. Their engagement should not be an afterthought, nor a box-checking exercise – but a commitment to use their expertise and experience to help save lives.

IDPC contribution to the Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug Threats

The Global AIDS Strategy 2021-2026 includes a series of bold goals for the international community to achieve, among which is the target that less than 10% of people living with HIV and key populations (such as people who use drugs) will experience stigma and discrimination by 2025. The central importance of exposing, tackling and reducing stigma has long been recognised at the international, regional and national levels, as stigma and discrimination are proven to be significant barriers to people accessing the health and social support and services that can save lives.

In order to make progress towards these targets, radical changes are needed to how people who use drugs – a key population for the HIV response – are treated and protected. Ghana has already made important strides in this direction, with the passing of the Narcotics Control Commission Act (Act 1019) in 2020 which reduced penalties for drug use offences while promoting alternatives to incarceration and harm reduction responses. Yet, accelerated efforts are needed in the country to create a conducive environment in which people who use drugs feel safe, supported and free from stigma. 

To this end, UNAIDS Ghana and the International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC) hosted a National Stakeholder Dialogue in April 2024 in collaboration with key national partners such as the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), the Ghana AIDS Commission, and the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC). The Dialogue had two main objectives: to bring together the key actors in Ghana to discuss the issues of stigma and discrimination; and to inform the development of a national stigma reduction roadmap for people who use drugs. It was attended by more than 55 participants representing government, academia, civil society, service providers, youth and the affected community.

National stakeholder dialogue: Towards a stigma reduction roadmap for people who use drugs in Ghana

In the present report, the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, Tlaleng Mofokeng, explores how harm reduction relates to both drug use and drug use disorders, as well as to drug laws and policies, aiming to analyse and address the related outcomes that adversely impact the enjoyment of the right to health. In doing so, she focuses on drugs whose production, distribution and consumption have been subject to control under the international drug control conventions, including how the approach to such control has negatively affected the availability, accessibility, acceptability and quality of certain drugs used as medicines.

The Special Rapporteur considers harm reduction interventions particularly important for populations that are often stigmatized and discriminated against in the context of drug use and the enforcement of drug laws and policies. She explores how this compounds other forms of discrimination and disproportionately affects certain individuals, such as persons in situations of homelessness or poverty, persons with mental health issues, sex workers, women, children, LGBTIQA+ persons, Black persons, Indigenous Peoples, migrants, persons who are incarcerated or detained, persons with disabilities, persons living with HIV, tuberculosis or hepatitis, and persons living in rural areas. She also examines gaps in harm reduction care, including in contexts in which it fails to meet the needs of those who have borne the brunt of punitive drug laws and policies over decades, such as persons of African descent and Indigenous Peoples.

Drug use, harm reduction and the right to health - Report of the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health

This year’s meeting of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna marked a significant shift in policy when it agreed to focus on drug use as a public health issue that required an approach of harm reduction. This stance moves from the criminalization of drug use and brings the commission in line with the approach of the UN General Assembly, the World Health Organization, UNAIDS and the UN Office of Human Rights, all of which revised their policies a decade or more ago.

The annual meeting of the CND, as it’s known, helps set the direction of drug policy for UN member states, and in previous years it reflected the position of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, its parent entity. The focus was on suppressing the use of drugs and policing, which has not been successful, and I’ve been advocating for more than two decades for an evidence-based approach to address drug production and use.

The CND reached this new policy partly by discarding its past agreement that all its decisions need to be reached by consensus (the so-called “Vienna spirit”) and held votes on the resolutions for the first time. This allowed the shift to a harm-reduction policy, a term that was excluded from resolutions because of opposition from the handful of countries committed to the criminal justice approach.

Charting a new global course for dealing with illicit drug use

No one should stand alone in our fight to end overdose.

While every individual action matters greatly, coming together as an international community creates a powerful collective action. One that moves us with greater speed toward our shared goal of preventing, and ultimately, ending all overdoses.

Through our 2024 theme, “Together we can” we’re highlighting the strength of coming together and standing in support of those connected to the tragedy of overdose.

For people who use drugs and those who don’t. For heartbroken friends and family members of lost loved ones. For activists who fight for sorely needed policy reform. For healthcare and harm reduction workers. For tireless advocates. Overdose can affect anyone, and we encourage you to remember the tenacity of our community. Lean into the power that we can have when we work together.

This August 31, reach out and connect with others in your local community and join the global IOAD movement. Our collective voices are stronger, louder, and the most impactful when brought together.

Let’s remember, together, we can end overdose.

International Overdose Awareness Day 2024 

The HIT Hot Topics Conference, held annually in Liverpool since 2011, continues HIT’s legacy of running cutting edge, high quality harm reduction and drug policy convenings. Whilst primarily UK-focused, HIT’s connection to activists and advocates around the world brings some of the most interesting and exciting speakers to our ‘family gatherings’, with side events almost as unmissable as the conference itself!

 HIT Hot Topics 2024

ISLAMABAD: Speakers at a conference organised by the Justice Project of Pakistan urged the government to introduce a drug policy that focuses on harm reduction, education, and medication to prevent deaths due to overdose and incentivise rehabilitation for substance use disorders.

Speaking at a plenary session ‘Effective Health and Harm Reduction Responses to Drug Use’, Syed Zulfiqar Hussain, a narcotics policy campaigner, said there were almost 6.7 million drug users in Pakistan and the country did not have an effective “harm reduction treatment” policy. In Lahore alone, there were over 7,000 homeless drug users with as many as 120 “hotspots”.

“There is no specialised treatment centre for women with drug dependence in Pakistan. People who use drugs deserve dignity, respect, and stigma-free care,” said Mr Hussain.

Amir Munir, additional district and sessions judge, said there was a need to develop a consensus regarding drug policy, particularly its legal aspect which treated substance users as pariahs.