Policing

Publications23 November 2023

HIV, hepatitis & drug policy reform

The Global Commission on Drug Policy calls for an end to the criminalisation and neglect experienced by people who use drugs and fueling these global pandemics, urging for the scale-up of services and recognition of community leadership.

News16 October 2023

Australia: NSW on-the-spot fines for drug use and possession a 'double-edged sword', expert says

While providing an avenue for non-criminalisation for first- and second-time possession offences, the hefty fines risk perpetuating the involvement of people who use drugs with the criminal legal system, particularly those most vulnerable.

News2 October 2023

Australia: Drug-detection dogs are wrong more than right, data reveals

Police drug-detection dogs in NSW exhibit an alarming rate of false-positive detections for drugs among festival-goers, raising concerns about the effectiveness of strip-searches and other violent, degrading and humiliating policing responses to drugs.

News2 October 2023

Divest from the unjust drug war: Invest in justice

Harm Reduction International urges governments to stop funding punitive drug laws and, instead, to invest in programmes that prioritise health, community and justice, leading to healthier and safer societies.

Blog27 September 2023

Cannabis, harm reduction & beyond: Notes on Minnesota's trailblazing drug law reform

Minnesota's drug policy reforms, particularly on cannabis and harm reduction represent a step in the right direction; but the continued use of punitive measures and the lack of safe supply programs are misguided.

Publications26 September 2023

Abolition and harm reduction in the struggle for “Care, Not Cages”

Levenson et al. note how the overdose crisis in the United States is inextricably linked to wider systems of criminalisation and incarceration, calling for the abolition of policing and prisons in order to uproot structural causes of harm.

Publications20 September 2023

Principles of non-police response to drug use concerns and emergencies

Drug Policy Alliance proposes principles to guide policymakers in developing person and harm-reduction-centred alternatives to police responses.

News16 September 2023

Criminalisation does not deter people from taking drugs

Persistent 'tough on drugs' approaches do not prevent drug use, they have only served as a tool of discrimination, harming police and community relations.

News12 September 2023

Uganda: New Narcotics Bill risks exacerbating 'drug-addiction issue'

The impending legislation further criminalises drug use in Uganda, alienating people who use drugs from crucial health and harm reduction services and posing a serious risk to their wellbeing.

Publications12 September 2023

Police seizure of drugs without arrest among people who use drugs in Vancouver, Canada, before provincial ‘decriminalization’ of simple possession: a cohort study

Hayashi et al. reveal that despite the enactment of a depenalisation policy in Vancouver, police continued to seize illicit drugs from people who use drugs, calling for abolition of this harmful discretionary policing practice.

Publications12 September 2023

Human rights challenges in addressing and countering all aspects of the world drug problem - Report of the OHCHR

OHCHR present their report to the Human Rights Council on the impact of the world drug problem on human rights, urging policymakers to shift towards a health and human-rights centred approach to drug policy.

Events

'Aid for the war on drugs' - Report launch

Online

12 September 2023

HRI launch their new report which looks at how wealthy governments are using international aid to fund the global war on drugs.

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