Although the drug strategy adopted by the Hungarian government in 2013 aimed to make the country drug-free by 2020, the (not so) new synthetic drugs still rule the country. After the municipal elections, there is some hope that harm reduction can return to Budapest.
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 This principle is not only outdated but it has become anachronistic: the reality is that millions of people use mind altering substances for recreational purposes and most of them do not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.
Drug Users are not Damaging the Environment, the War on Drugs is
It is not our search for pleasure that is so damaging to the environment, but corporal greed, social injustice, and inequality.
Peace & Coca
Watch Xenia Grubstein’s documentary trilogy inspired by the life of Colombian coca growers both amidst the recent peace talks and afterwards.
We Are Not Reaching The Worst Victims of Domestic Violence
One in three women will be assaulted by her intimate partner in her lifetime, but the most vulnerable of them will be deathly afraid of seeking help. Why? The inescapable stigma surrounding drug use.
Poppi: Drugs Museum Amsterdam – Interview with Machteld Busz
A leading Dutch harm reduction organisation, Mainline, launched a crowdfunding campaign to open the first ever museum dedicated to drugs. Read our interview with Machteld Busz, the director of Mainline – and support their cause!
International Harm Reduction Film Festival 2019: Final Programme
Drugreporter and Harm Reduction International co-organises the International Harm Reduction Film Festival next week in Porto, sponsored by Elton John AIDS Fund. There is an incredibly strong selection of movies – browse the programme and watch some trailers below!
5 Things We Learned at the UN Drugs Meeting This Year
Drugreporter’s team attended the UN Commission on Narcotics Drugs (CND), please read some take home messages and watch some videos we produced there!
Finland Needs to Relax Its Restrictive Drug Laws – An Interview with Tuukka Tammi
Finland is debating the opening of its first drug consumption room to respond to high overdose death rates. Tuukka Tammi, a top researcher in the drug field in Finland, says restrictive drug laws should be reformed as well.
Legal Needs and Access to Justice for People Who Inject Drugs in Macedonia
A Macedonian harm reduction NGO, HOPS, assessed the access of injecting drug users and sex workers to justice. Please read a short summary of the findings of this research by Ivica Cekovski!
5 Reasons Why We Cannot Make the World Drug-free – Just Say Know Series, Episode 3.
In March 2019 governments will discuss global drug policies in Vienna at the Commission on Narcotics Drugs. This is our message to them. If you have 4 minutes to learn why the global war on drugs is an utter failure, please watch this short video!
