In this time of crisis, harm reduction activists must go beyond their regular demands and urge governments to act quickly to prevent a public health crisis transforming into a social collapse (Greek translation).
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 This principle is not only outdated but it has become anachronistic: the reality is that millions of people use mind altering substances for recreational purposes and most of them do not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.
Cannabis Reform Around the World in 2020
Drugreporter’s video advocacy team gives you a global overview of cannabis reform – watch our interviews with key activists from 6 countries where major reforms are underway!
Road 184
“Road 184” is a movie about the Estonian Community of People who Use Psychotropic Substances, LUNEST, the first officially registered Estonian organization that protects the rights of drug users. Today, LUNEST unites people who speak different languages and have different citizenship, as well as those who do not have any citizenship in Estonia.
4 Short Videos about Recent Developments in Global Drug Policies
The Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) is the largest international drug policy decision making forum in the world. This year, at the 63rd session of the CND, our video advocacy team produced four short video reports to inform the public about some of the major developments.
How to Make a New EU Drugs Strategy?
The EU Drugs Strategy (2013-20) expires this year and there are huge gaps in its implementation. Policy documents that are not enforced damage the credibility of the EU. To avoid this, we should revise the paradigm and create a new framework for actions.
The Unchallenged Rule of the Designer Drugs in Hungary
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 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!
