Drug Policy and Law

Drug laws in most countries of the world follow the principle defined by the three international drug conventions (1961, 1971, 1988), that is, they prohibit the non-medical and non-scientific use of some mind altering drugs. This principle is not only outdated but it has become anachronistic: the reality is that millions of people use mind altering substances for recreational purposes and most of them do not experience significant harms from drug use. What is more, many harms people do experience are directly connected to the war on drugs, which created a lucrative black market that only benefits criminal organisations. A drug-free world is an illusion, drug policies should be aimed at reducing the harms of drug use and drug policies instead. We believe that drug use should not be punished and drugs should be regulated as legal products, adjusted to the specific characteristics and risks of those drugs.     

Forced To Be Healthy

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Cruel treatment and inhumane methods of rehabilitation centres in Tatarstan are revealed and discussed by doctor of medical sciences and former residents. Watch the video of Drug Users News, member of the Drugreporter video network.

5 Common Myths Among Cannabis Smokers

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We know that there are persistent myths about cannabis among opponents of reform, from the gateway drug theory to demotivational syndrome. But there are also myths among cannabis smokers.

Towards Humane Drug Policies in Asia

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A report from a drug policy conference in Macau, where we visited a high-tech methadone clinic, a drop-in centre, and interviewed many brave Asian activists who are working on reducing the harms of drug use and drug laws.