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.
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 This principle is not only outdated but it has become anachronistic: the reality is that millions of people use mind altering substances for recreational purposes and most of them do not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.
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!
Medical Cannabis Arrives at Pharmacies in Poland
People with a doctor’s prescription can now go to Polish pharmacies and buy one of the most ancient medicine in the world: cannabis. Read Adam Stasiak’s report from Warsaw!
Civil Society Identifies Huge Gaps to Be Bridged in Implementing the EU Action Plan on Drugs
In its new report, the EU Civil Society Forum on Drugs (CSFD) urges member states and EU institutions to fulfill their commitments and bridge the gaps in providing access to and improving quality of prevention, treatment and harm reduction services.
Canada Legalised Cannabis
This is the second nation of the world after Uruguay to regulate cannabis as a legal product – and the first G7 country. Read our article and watch our video interview with a Canadian activist!
Drug Policy Museum in Mexico
“The goal was to show the effects and repercussions of drug policy worldwide, but with a special focus on Latin America.” Video and article about the Drug Policy Museum in Mexico City by Karina Muscarina and Fanny Pineda, partner of the Drugreporter.
Police Statistics – An Obstacle to Humane Drug Policies
A user story, statistics, and legal background of police arrests for possession of small amount in Poland by Adam Stasiak.
Jakarta’s Crystal Injustice
This is the story of Maulana who was caught and tortured by the Indonesian police for possessing a small amount of crystal meth. Watch the video of Yohan Misero (LBH Masyarakat), member of the Drugreporter video network!
Drug Policy Reform in the Post-American World Order
There was a time when we expected that the end of aggressive American interventionism would open the gates to drug policy reform. We are now at the dawning of a new multipolar world order, but it is not only the spirit of reform that has been released from the bottle. (Russian translation here!)
