The meeting of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs held in Vienna this spring showed how international drug policy is moving slowly. That is why every entry on harm reduction, human rights and public health is politically significant – a guest article by Aleksi Hupli, a Finnish researcher, first published in Finnish by A-Clinic Foundation.
Péter Sárosi
Beyond the Nordic Paradox: How Harm Reduction Is Transforming Drug Policy in the North
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!
“Almost As If a Parent Is Passing Away” – Interview with Ancella Voets
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.
Dance Protest Against the Drug War Goes Nationwide in Hungary
On February 28, thousands of people gathered in Budapest and three other Hungarian cities for an unusual form of protest: a peaceful demonstration expressed through electronic music and collective dancing against the increasingly harsh war on drugs.
Beyond “Just Say No”
For generations, drug prevention has told young people to “just say no,” while failing to ask what they actually need in order to say yes to life.
Inside Vienna’s Integrated Harm Reduction Hub: Suchthilfe Wien
In most European cities, services for people who use drugs are scattered across the map, fragmented by funding lines, bureaucratic boundaries, or political controversy. Vienna chose a different path. Our new film takes viewers inside Suchthilfe Wien, one of the most comprehensive and integrated municipal addiction-care systems in Europe — a place where essential services are not only coordinated, but physically under one roof.
Dance for Freedom: Rave Revolution in Front of the Hungarian Parliament
On December 6, something extraordinary happened on Kossuth Square in front of the Hungarian Parliament. What began as a response to escalating police harassment of musicians, clubs, and young partygoers transformed into a vibrant, peaceful celebration of community, culture, and freedom: Dance for Freedom (Tánc a Szabadságért). [Updated with video!]
“Their resilience is what keeps me going” – Connecting People With Health Care in Slovakia
In 2023, Slovakia finally removed the abstinence rules and health insurance debt barriers that had kept thousands of people who use drugs from accessing hepatitis C treatment. In this interview, Dominika Jasekova from the NGO Odyseus explains how the reform changed their work on the ground, what obstacles remain, and why the resilience of their clients continues to drive them forward.
Policing Nightlife: Hungary’s Drug War Turns Into a Cultural Battle
Hungary’s war on drugs has entered a new and troubling phase. In recent months, the government has deployed police powers not only in nightclubs, but also against some opposition politicians and some of the country’s most popular musicians—accusing them of promoting a “drug lifestyle.”
Recreational Cannabis Reform in Malta and Prospects for a Cannabis Humanitarian Bank — A Utopian Dream?
In this opinion piece, Maltese harm reduction activist Karen Mamo argues that Malta’s cannabis reform must go a step further — by establishing a Cannabis Humanitarian Bank to ensure that vulnerable consumers are not left behind in the country’s decriminalisation efforts.
