A public clash between a senior police official and one of the Czech Republic’s leading addiction researchers has exposed a deeper struggle over the future of a drug policy model long regarded as one of Europe’s most successful.

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.

The Czech government is reportedly dismissing National Drug Coordinator Pavel Bém and dismantling the country’s internationally respected evidence-based drug policy model in a move experts warn could shift policy toward a more punitive and ideological direction.

At ICPR 2024, we talked to psychologist and psychotherapist Marc B. Aixalà about how so-called “bad trips” can be reframed as difficult but potentially transformative experiences, and the importance of integration in psychedelic therapy.

On 7 May 2026, PAREA convened the first European Forum of National Psychedelic Societies in Brussels, bringing together representatives from organisations in 25 countries working on psychedelic research, policy, and access across Europe. Watch key presentations on the state of psychedelic access in Europe, filmed by Drugreporter.

How could evidence-based psychedelic therapies help address war-related mental health challenges in Ukraine, particularly PTSD among veterans? This was the main question of the European Parliament event held on 6 May, which Drugreporter captured on video in its entirety. Watch the full session now!

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!

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.