A new joint report from Human Rights Watch and the Drug Policy Alliance shows thousands of people are being deported every year for drug offenses that in many cases no longer exist under state laws, harming and separating immigrant families.

Punitive federal immigration laws separate families, destabilize communities, and terrorize noncitizens, all while overdose deaths have risen and drugs have become more potent and available.

Congress should reform immigration law to give immigration judges discretion to make individualized decisions. States should ensure drug reforms apply to non-citizens as well.

'Disrupt and vilify': The war on immigrants inside the US war on drugs

The authors write this piece as a Global South-based global surgery researcher, educator and practitioner in India (DS), and as a Global South-based global health researcher, educator and practitioner in West Africa (NAS-A). We have attempted to write this outside of the foreign gaze; our pose and the gaze we write for is the Global South.10

We have observed that there is relatively little depiction of the Global South’s role in perpetuating coloniality and of its responsibilities in promoting decolonisation within its own geography. While the impact of colonisation, coloniality and neocolonisation from the Global North is appropriately a major focus, it is not sufficient to fully achieve the aspirations for decolonisation in global health.2–4 We, the Global South, appear to be waiting somewhat passively for the rising tide of decolonisation initiatives from the Global North to lift all boats, rather than actively partnering in, or leading the process. Individuals, communities and countries in the Global South need to turn the lens of decolonisation inward and scrutinise their own errors of omission and commission at the ‘local Global South’ level (figure 1).3

Granted, resource constraints in LMICs of the Global South can hamper decolonsation initiatives and limit sustainment. However, we believe that major reasons for the paucity of ‘local Global South’ discussion and action on decolonisation are that (1) we have not educated ourselves appropriately on the ‘what’ and ‘why’ of decolonisation for our purpose and (2) we have not done enough introspection into our roles in perpetuating coloniality in global health in the postcolonial era. Decolonisation responsibilities for Global South personnel working in global health research, education or practice are not trivial and are worth considering for action, because (1) Global North-led initiatives will be more likely to be pragmatic and uphold the status quo11 and (2) Global South-led initiatives promote Global South ownership, which is more likely to drive aspirations that bring about fundamental change.2 12

From industry, we borrow the Four Actions Framework,13 which guides business organisations to identify and address internal bottlenecks to optimising product innovation, value and affordability. For this paper, we consider decolonisation the ideal ‘product’, and the ‘internal bottlenecks’ are coloniality of thinking and actions in global health by the Global South within its own ‘organisation’.

Decolonising global health in the Global South by the Global South: Turning the lens inward

Youth RISE will host an educational workshop on decriminalisation and the rights of young people who use drugs (YPWUD). To accommodate different time zones, there will be scheduled two identical sessions:

🕘 9:00 AM PT | 12:00 PM Colombia | 12:00 PM ET | 5:00 PM GMT

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/uoWoa9zrSXyF6QJuNVg29Q

🕚 11:00 AM GMT | 1:00 PM CAT | 5:00 PM Kyrgyzstan

🌍 Swahili and Russian interpretation available

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/9TBaDo4GT7-iKAQmW05IrA

•⁠ ⁠Youth-centric decriminalization

•⁠ ⁠Legal frameworks and advocacy skills

•⁠ ⁠YPWUD rights and harm reduction

•⁠ ⁠Practical applications and case studies

•⁠ ⁠Youth empowerment and representation

We hope to see you there and look forward to your participation and feedback!

Decriminalisation and the rights of young people who use drugs

Deputy Health Minister Datuk Lukanisman Awang Sauni today called for an urgent drug policy reform, emphasising the need for decriminalisation.

He said it is an approach grounded in the principles of public health, human rights and social justice, in which re-envisioning existing drug policies bring about multiple benefits to the health sector.

“Decriminalising drug use helps to minimise harmful consequences associated with drug use, allowing us to redirect resources from punitive measures to harm reduction strategies, such as needle exchange programmes and the provision of life-saving medications like methadone.

“Also, when drug use is decriminalised, individuals are more likely to seek treatment and support, leading to better health outcomes, including reductions in the transmission of infectious diseases and other drug-related harms,” he said.

The issue was highlighted in his keynote speech at the International Society of Addiction Medicine’s (ISAM) regional meeting today, themed ‘Managing Addiction through Integrated Intervention in the Challenging Era’.

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

We are pleased to invite you to a hybrid side event, 

“The Future of Drug Policy – Health and Well-being for All,”

 organized by the ImPACT Coalition during the Action Days prior to the Summit of the Future. The event will take place on 20 September 2024, from 10:00AM to 12:00 PM EST, in person at Chrysler Building, 405 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10174 and online.

The event is being organized by the Vienna NGO Committee on Drugs together with the African Civil Society Forum on Drugs, the American Coalition on Drug Policy, the New York NGO Committee on Drugs, UNODC Civil Society Unit, Kenya, Nigeria, Slovenia, and Uganda.

This event will bring together representatives from civil society, international organizations, government agencies, and academia to discuss best practices and collaborative approaches to tackling drug-related issues. The discussions will focus on supporting the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 3: “Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.”

The agenda and additional background information will be circulated towards the end of this week.

 below to receive your personalized link to join the virtual session:


The future of drug policy: Health and well-being for all

November 25 is the international day for elimination of violence against women which marks the beginning of 16 days of action through to December 10, International Human Rights Day. 

WHRIN encourage interested organisations and groups worldwide to collaborate and organise actions to highlight the need to end violence against women and gender-diverse people who use drugs and actions to end violence against women and gender-diverse people who use drugs and orient drug policy towards human rights, gender awareness and harm reduction. 

To join our global campaign, please adapt/translate and print out the poster and take photos while wearing something orange (to pick up on the international theme colour for eliminating violence against women) while ensuring your action brings particular attention to the situation of women and gender diverse people who use drugs.

You are encouraged to invite media to hear and receive statements from your organisation/s. An optional press release can be translated and adapted to context in your city, adding your own contact or logo etc. To register your EVAWUD planning and/or apply for a small grant, click here. Recommended hashtags include: #EVAWUD24 #orangetheworld #WHRINetwork 

In contexts where publication of identifying images could have negative repercussions, it is proposed that the poster is held in front of faces to protect identity, or that blur face options be offered. Those participating will agree to having the images used for campaign purposes targeting UN agencies, drug policy forums and via partner harm reduction, drug policy and feminist agencies. Campaign organisers will be responsible for coordinating informed consent (see and example template here). 

By December 10-14, please email your photos and a brief description of activity (max 200 words) back to policyandcommunityengagementlead@whrin.site. The reports will be pooled collated and repropelled through relevant networks aiming to achieve a global-level profile for the campaign.

Campaign for the elimination of violence against women who use drugs - EVAWUD 2024

Although this article isn’t about me, I think it’s important to give you some context.

My name is Jéssica, I’m 31 years old, I was born and raised in the Complexo de Favelas do Alemão, in the city of Rio de Janeiro. I’m an LGBTQIA+ person, I have no children and I’m a human rights activist.

I’d like to start by talking about activism – more specifically, about what drives someone to become an activist. In my case, it was an almost-choice. I emphasise “almost” because, although it was a choice like many others I’ve made, sometimes that decision is thrust upon you, like a foot ramming down a door, forcing you to take part in a fight that no one would ever ask you to join.

Today, this text is not about me. I’m writing about the growing movements of mothers and other relatives who, from one moment to the next, have their lives changed and must fight for the memory and the rights of the victims of the drug war. According to the 17th edition of the Annual Brazilian Public Security Report, 83% of those killed by the police in Brazil in 2022 were Black, and 76% of these were aged between 12 and 26. These figures reveal not only a very important detail of who is executed by the police; they also show how these killings leave a trail of blood and pain on so many mothers, families and friends whose lives are violently crossed by the pain of loss.

The weight of inaction: The mothers fighting the war on drugs in Brazil

Each year, RightsCon convenes business leaders, policy makers, general counsels, government representatives, technologists, academics, journalists, and human rights advocates from around the world to tackle pressing issues at the intersection of human rights and technology. In engaging fireside chats, hands-on workshops, strategic roundtables, private meetings, and a lively exhibition space, RightsCon is where a global movement comes together to build strategies and drive forward change toward a more free, open, and connected digital world.

Over the past 12 years, RightsCon has rotated to key hubs around the world, including San José, Tunis, Toronto, Brussels, Rio de Janeiro, Manila, and San Francisco, and grown, both in size and in scope to meet the evolving needs of a movement.

For its 13th edition, we’re excited to host RightsCon 2025 in Taipei and online from February 24 to 27. As a leading democracy in the region, Taiwan is recognized globally for the freest online environment and greatest human freedom in Asia, a whole-of-society approach to human rights, and a vibrant civil society community. As the routine location of large-scale international events, coupled with the rapidly growing presence of international NGOs and global tech companies, we look forward to hosting our first summit in East Asia in Taipei and returning to the Asia Pacific region after a decade.

RightsCon 2025: Taipei

The third Brandenburg Forum in Geneva (the Forum) took place on 7th June 2023, bringing together a broad range of Member State delegates, civil society representatives, UN officials and human rights experts, to discuss challenges and opportunities for consolidating the recent progress in addressing the human rights implications of drug policy across the United Nations (UN) level.

The Forum was opened with interventions by the co-hosts of the Forum and by high-level attendees. The speakers highlighted that the 2022 Forum had been critical in building momentum towards the Human Rights Council Resolution on human rights in drug policy that was finally adopted in April 2023 (HRC Resolution 52/24). The Resolution requested a report from OHCHR on human rights challenges in drug policy, which will be a key contribution from the UN human rights system to the mid-term review of the 2019 Ministerial Declaration on drugs, scheduled for March 2024 at the CND.

The morning session of the Forum featured discussions on strengthening the role of the Human Rights Council (HRC) in drug policy debates. Reflecting on lessons learnt during the negotiations of HRC Resolution 52/24, participants recognised that drug policy will be a polarising issue at the HRC, and pointed to the importance of building coalitions from the start, setting up a transparent process, defining clear objectives and red lines, and engaging in constant outreach, including to non-like-minded delegations. A need for closer cooperation between like-minded Geneva and Vienna delegations was mentioned – including in the upcoming mid-term review. Noting that delegations from Africa or Asia are absent from the core group of Member States that lead on the human rights impacts of drug policies at the Human Rights Council – including by tabling HRC Resolution 52/24 – Do, attendants called for efforts to facilitate cross-regional engagement through thematic dialogues. Strategies to ensure the presence of drug policies at the HRC were also discussed.

In the afternoon session, participants discussed different approaches to consolidate the systematicity of contributions by human rights mechanisms on drug policy. Although there has been great progress in the last year, participants agreed that so far interventions are reactive and may have blind spots. Participants reflected on barriers to accessing the know-how and networks necessary to operate in the human rights system, and the need to invest in civil society advocacy, particularly for activists from under-represented regions. At the same time, many pointed to the need to keep building up evidence-based knowledge on drug policy among treaty bodies and special mandates, dispelling preconceived notions, providing thematic briefings, information in country reviews or visits, and individual cases.

Following the standard Brandenburg Forum methodology, after each panel participants were divided in four breakout groups to discuss and formulate concrete recommendations for the way forward. Each breakout group brought back to the plenary two recommendations. After a voting exercise at the end of the day, the top-voted priorities were:

Top-voted priorities on “strengthening the role of the Human Rights Council in drug policy”:

Organise regional briefings to engage Member States in regional groups which may need support in establishing a human rights-based approach to drug policies, with a prior mapping of strategic themes and Member States, and involving regional stakeholders and civil society. (23 votes)

Ensure widest dissemination possible of OHCHR report, including sharing it with national stakeholders, and OHCHR presenting the report at the Autumn 2023 CND intersessional, organising events a broad range of Member States and involving the UN system coordination Task Team on the Implementation of the UN System Common Position on drug-related matters. (20 votes).

Mainstream drug policy language into relevant HRC resolutions, with prior mapping of issues, and influencing special mandates to integrate drug policy issues into their reports. (20 votes).

Promote a one-UN approach to drugs, including a stronger role for the Task Team, and consolidate cooperation between UNODC and OHCHR (examples: OHCHR input to World Drug Report, joint work plan, memoranda of understanding, etc.). (29 votes).

Build on the core group, systematise recommendations on drug policies through the Universal Periodic Review. (25 votes).

3rd Brandenburg Forum (BBF) in Geneva: Consolidating progress for human rights in drug policy - Meeting report

A coalition of stakeholders led by a number of TDs and Senators have called for part of the Misuse of Drugs Act to be repealed.

Section 3 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 criminalises people for the possession of drugs for personal use.

Yesterday, the Government announced that it would establish a Joint Oireachtas Committee to consider the Report of the Citizens' Assembly on Drugs Use and respond to its recommendations.

Following months of hearings last year, the assembly voted for a health-led approach to the use of drugs in Ireland.

At a presentation this morning, a group led by Independent Senator Lynn Ruane, Deputy Neasa Hourigan of the Green Party and Labour TD Aodhán Ó Ríordáin said Section 3 of the act should be repealed as a first step.

At this morning's presentation, coordinator of the Citywide Drugs Crisis Campaign Anna Quigley stressed the importance of ending "the current moral judgement of drug use as 'bad' and something for which people need to be punished".

She said repealing the particular section of the act would ensure "effective implementation" of the other recommendations.

It was argued that recommendations regarding health services could not be implemented effectively without repeal.

Ireland: Call for part of Misuse of Drugs Act to be repealed

There have been several recent commentaries which have highlighted the relevance of the postcolonial perspective to drug prohibition and called for the decolonisation of drug policy (Daniels et al., 2021; Hillier, Winkler & Lavall´ee, 2020; Lasco, 2022; Mills, 2019). While these are significant interventions in the field, sparse drugs scholarship has engaged more directly with well-developed literature and concepts from Critical Indigenous Studies (Moreton-Robinson, 2016) and Indigenous Standpoint Theory (Moreton-Robinson, 2013; Nakata, 2007) and reflected on its applicability to the drug and alcohol field. In contrast to the postcolonial perspective, which understands colonisation as a historical event with contemporary impacts, Indigenous scholarship conceptualises colonisation as an active and ongoing part of how the settler-state continues to impose itself. From this vantage point I explore coloniality as a system of power and reflect on the way prohibition acts as a key arm of the settler-colonial state. The paper explores the way concepts like vulnerability, marginality, overrepresentation, disproportionality and addiction involve colonial violence, knowledge practices and narratives which are central to the way coloniality is maintained and continues to assert itself in contemporary settler societies

The coloniality of drug prohibition

Against the backdrop of North America’s overdose crisis, most overdose deaths are occurring in housing environments, largely due to individuals using drugs alone. Overdose deaths in cities remain concentrated in marginal housing environments (e.g., single-room occupancy housing, shelters), which are often the only forms of housing available to urban poor and drug-using communities. This commentary aims to highlight current housing-based overdose prevention interventions and to situate them within the broader environmental contexts of marginal housing. In doing so, we call attention to the need to better understand marginal housing as sites of overdose vulnerability and public health intervention to optimize responses to the overdose crisis.

Harm reduction and overdose prevention in housing

In response to high overdose rates in marginal housing environments several interventions (e.g., housing-based supervised consumption rooms, peer-witnessed injection) have recently been implemented in select jurisdictions. However, even with the growing recognition of marginal housing as a key intervention site, housing-based interventions have yet to be scaled up in a meaningful way. Further, there have been persistent challenges to tailoring these approaches to address dynamics within housing environments. Thus, while it is critical to expand coverage of housing-based interventions across marginal housing environments, these interventions must also attend to the contextual drivers of risks in these settings to best foster enabling environments for harm reduction and maximize impacts.

Emerging housing-focused interventions are designed to address key drivers of overdose risk (e.g., using alone, toxic drug supply). Yet, broader contextual factors (e.g., drug criminalization, housing quality, gender) are equally critical factors that shape how structurally vulnerable people who use drugs navigate and engage with harm reduction interventions. A more comprehensive understanding of these contextual factors within housing environments is needed to inform policy and programmatic interventions that are responsive to the needs of people who use drugs in these settings.

Human rights and social justice