329 NGOs call for reform of anti-drug policies and question the UN's ability to initiate such reform

On the occasion of the 26th International Harm Reduction Conference in Porto, bringing together international experts and civil society players, 329 NGOs published an open letter. The letter describes the health crisis among drug users. It also denounces the fact that current repressive policies are only making the situation worse, and calls on international organizations and national governments to adopt a harm reduction approach.

A policy in crisis

The NGOs denounce a «high level of stigmatization and discrimination [of drug users] in access to health services». They also note that this is a particularly criminalized population, «the vast majority for simple possession». Drug users account for a fifth of the world's prison population, the document points out, noting that a dozen countries inflict corporal punishment as a punishment for drug use. The letter mentions in particular the philippine president's bloody «war on drugs Rodrigo Duterte: «We absolutely must put an end to these unacceptable human rights violations».

Despite recent commitments by the international community to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG5), the 2016 United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS 2016) and in the 2019 Ministerial Declaration adopted barely a month ago in Vienna, international reform efforts have so far come to nothing. With regard to cannabis, the member states of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs have failed to vote WHO recommendations which would have eased the restrictions on its use in research.

A lack of political will

NGOs point to a lack of political will and question the ability of UNODC, the UN body that coordinates international drug control, to encourage reform of current policies. «By virtue of its very mandate and structure, UNODC remains an organization more sensitive to law enforcement's response to drugs. Alarmingly, the agency struggles to fully embrace, endorse and embody health- and rights-based responses to drugs,» reads the document.

The NGOs consider that «UNODC's position on harm reduction is still several years behind that of other UN bodies». Indeed, the UN and WHO had already recommended drug decriminalization in 2017. Last March, the UN's Governing Council, which brings together 31 UN agencies, decided to take action, did the same. Despite the growing consensus on the need for reform, no concrete targets have been set for member states. NGOs point to the lack of political leadership on this issue.

Available in French, Spanish, English and Russian on the Drug Policy Consortium, the open letter concerns all users and recommends decriminalization of all drugs based on the Portuguese model. Signatories include Drug Policy Alliance and Veterans for Medical Cannabis Access, two organizations campaigning for the liberalization of drug policies in the United States. French organizations include Médecins du Monde, Cannabis Sans Frontières and Principes Actifs, Collectif Police Contre la Prohibition and SOS Addictions.