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Drug experts say Australia’s presence at UN summit a waste of money
The president of the Australian Drug Law Reform Foundation, Dr Alex Wodak, has questioned Australia’s attendance at a meeting of UN member countries to debate global drugs policy later this month, describing the conference as “the last big international forum before global drug prohibition collapses”. […]
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Top Reformers Share Hopes and Disappointments as UNGASS Looms
A high-powered group of reformers ushered in the month of UNGASS—the first special UN drugs summit since 1998—at the Open Society Foundations in New York this morning. They expressed hopes and disappointments about the progress and lack of it surrounding the event.Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, noted the much-improved context of this summit versus the last…
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Why ‘marijuana turns users into losers’ is a bad argument for prohibition
Never in modern history has there existed greater public support for ending our nation’s nearly century-long experiment with pot prohibition and replacing it with a taxed and regulated adult marketplace. […]
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The UN’s war on drugs is a failure. Is it time for a different approach?
A policy of prohibition has put the drugs trade in the hands of criminals and led to suffering for millions. Now there are hopes a special United Nations session will see reform […]
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Global consensus and dissensus on drug policy
U.N. member states will convene to reassess global drug policies. Some countries, particularly within Latin America and Western Europe, see the existing policies as ineffective and counterproductive. Others, particularly in East Asia and the Middle East (as well as Russia), staunchly support them. As a result of changing domestic policies, including state-level marijuana legalization, the United States is no longer…
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Blockbuster report backs U.N. cannabis regulation, end to prohibition
A major report by The Lancet urges the United Nations to rethink its drug policy and adopt a number of major changes, including an end to cannabis prohibition. […]
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From cannabis cafes to death row: drugs laws around the world
The Guardian looks at how some countries deal with drug-related issues. […]
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Lancet commission recommends drug legalization
As the U.N. prepares for a special session on “the world drug problem,” 22 experts catalog the costs of prohibition. […]
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Drug War: ‘Humanitarian crisis’ label debated
With growing support for ending the war on drugs, activists worry too much talk about humanitarian concerns will remove governments from the business of drug control at a crucial time. […]
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Obama: ‘Drug addiction is a health problem, not a criminal problem’
Speaking at a drug abuse summit in Atlanta, the US president committed to tackling heroin and prescription opioid epidemic with prevention and treatment. […]
