Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has declared a war on drug traffickers, announcing that Hungary will amend its constitution to criminalise drug use. However, civil society warns that this approach is bound to fail and a more integrated, health-focused approach is needed instead.
Drug Policy and Law
Little Things Mean a Lot: 6h European Harm Reduction Conference
At its bi-annual gathering the European harm reduction movement addressed the multiple challenges of our time: rising populism, shrinking space for civil society, changing drug markets and changing needs of people who use drugs. Watch our film we produced at the conference!
A Failed Attack Against the Pro-Harm Reduction Drug Strategy of Budapest
The City Council of Budapest rejected a proposal from the government party, Fidesz, to abolish the city’s progressive drug strategy and to create a new, repressive strategy.
One Coca Leaf for Nutrition is One Coca Less for Drug Trafficking | Cesar Aguilar Alcedo
The UN drug treaties prohibited the use of coca leaf but Andean people are now promoting its re-legalisation. We asked Cesar Aguilar Alcedo, a member of the Bolivian delegation at the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs, to explain why.
The State of Cannabis Reform in Europe | Interview with Tom Blickman at the UN
In this interview, filmed at the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs, we discussed current developments of cannabis policy reform in Europe with Tom Blickman from the Transnational Institute.
Drug Regulation as a Tool to Promote Human Rights, Health and Security in Europe | Arild Knutsen
In this interview, filmed at the 67th Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna this year, we asked Arild Knutsen, the head of the Association for Humane Drug Policy (FHN) about drug policy reform developments in Norway.
Don’t Blame Decriminalisation for the Failure of a Hundred Years of Prohibition
The recent backlash against the decriminalisation of drug use is a worrying sign of decision-makers’ short-sightedness. We, as a society, need to reconnect with marginalised people and not re-criminalise them.
The New EU Drug Agency Seeks Stronger Partnership with Civil Society
The EU’s drug monitoring agency organised a meeting with civil society in Lisbon to discuss future cooperation outlined in its new mandate. Read this short report about the meeting by Marie Nougier (IDPC) and Peter Sarosi!
Tenacity in the shrinking civic spaces | CND 2024
The side event examined prevalent legal strategies and frameworks utilized by authoritarian regimes in Central Eastern Europe and Central Asia (CEECA) to impede civil society’s role in public health improvement, protection of human rights, and the delivery of life-saving harm reduction services.
Cooperation for effective drug policies: The role of regional civil society mechanisms in realizing joint commitments | CND 2024
Watch the session at the 67th CND, organised by the he African Union Commission with the support of the UNODC Civil Society Unit, the Africa Civil Society Forum on Drugs, the European Union Civil Society Forum on Drugs, the POS Foundation, the Slum Child Foundation and the Vienna NGO Committee on Drugs.
