After decades of seizures, arrests and increasingly sophisticated law enforcement operations, Europe’s drug market is larger, more diverse and more adaptable than ever. The European Drug Report 2026 reveals a paradox at the heart of contemporary drug policy: while the evidence increasingly supports public health and harm reduction, political attention continues to gravitate towards tougher enforcement and security measures.

How can international human rights standards influence real-world drug policy reforms? From the abolition of the death penalty for drug offences in Pakistan to policy changes in Latin America and beyond, Drugreporter’s new short film explores how experts, activists, and policymakers have used the International Guidelines on Human Rights and Drug Policy to advocate for more humane and evidence-based approaches around the world.

In April 2026, drug user organizations, human rights advocates, researchers, and policymakers from across the Nordic region gathered in Oslo for the conference Nordic Mobilization on Human Rights and Drug Policy. The event marked the launch of a new Nordic network committed to promoting drug policies based on human rights, democracy, public health, and social justice.

As civic space shrinks and organized crime grows, the Nordic countries are at a crossroads. This conference brought together activists, researchers, policymakers, and people who use drugs to discuss solutions rooted in Nordic values. Watch all presentations filmed by Drugreporter here!

With the new EU drug strategy now adopted, key questions remain about its direction and implementation—especially the balance between public health, human rights, and security. We spoke with Anna Dovbakh, Chair of the Civil Society Forum on Drugs, about what the strategy means in practice and the role of civil society moving forward.

As Hungary heads toward a pivotal election, the camera turns on two of its most prominent drug policy advocates. In this interview conducted by Arild Knutsen, Drugreporter founders Péter Sárosi and István Gábor Takács reflect on decades of activism—and explain why they are now taking their fight to the streets to challenge an increasingly repressive system.

Civil society and drug user activists push harm reduction reforms across the Nordic region – please watch the videos from a side event at the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) and learn more about drug policy reform in Scandinavia!

After 36 years of pioneering work in the field of harm reduction, Mainline, a leading Dutch harm reduction organisation, has to close due to budget constraints. We interviewed its executive director, Ancella Voets, on this occasion.

In Bergen, on Norway’s rainy western coast, Huset Bergen — a three-storey harm reduction centre — is run entirely by people with lived and living experience of drug use. Drugreporter joined Arild Knutsen from the Association for Humane Drug Policy to explore this bold model and found something striking: not resistance, but broad community support — from neighbours to bankers and politicians. Watch our new documentary on the future of peer-led drug services.

Step inside the UK’s first legal safer drug consumption room. In Drugreporter’s new video, Lynn MacDonald, service manager at The Thistle, takes us through a space built not only for life-saving safer use, but for compassion, dignity, and respect — putting care and humanity at the center of the service.