NGOs condemn failure of UN drug strategy
- December 5, 2023
- 0
A network of 191 NGOs criticized ‘Devastating’ consequences of ‘war on drugs’such as the imprisonment of more than two million people in the world for drug crimes, and
A network of 191 NGOs criticized ‘Devastating’ consequences of ‘war on drugs’such as the imprisonment of more than two million people in the world for drug crimes, and demanded changes in UN drug policy.
This network of NGOs and organizations from 75 countries grouped under the name International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC) today published a report assessing the first five years of the current international drug strategy, which will be reviewed in 2029.
In 2019, states of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs adopted a declaration in Vienna that promoted a “society free of drug abuse” and committed to continue working to eradicate the cultivation, production, trafficking and consumption of drugs until 2029, when they will review progress.
The UN’s own estimates show that this goal is further away than ever, with the market for drugs, both traditional and synthetic, now at historic highs, with more users and more deaths associated with their use.
Anne Fordhamchief executive of IDPC, criticized the low importance governments place on commitments.
We are halfway through the implementation of the current ten-year global drug strategy, and governments have still made no effort to conduct a serious assessment. Governments cannot continue to shy away from decades of failure and must urgently correct course.
IDPC document entitled Fof course: Alternative report for the mid-term review of the 2019 Ministerial Declaration on Drugs, uses UN data, government statistics and scientific research to show that the number of drug users has increased from 271 million to 296 million in four years.
Additionally, drug-related deaths reached 494,000 in 2019, with a significant increase in overdose deaths, especially in the United States, due to fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid.
Fentanyl confiscated in the US. | Photo: Cuartoscuro
The report also noted a 213% increase in executions for drug crimes between 2019 and 2022, as well as an increase in the number of people incarcerated for drug crimes, which topped 2 million.
The total number of people imprisoned globally has continued to rise over the past four years, rising from about 10 million in 2019 to 11.5 million in 2023, the report found.
Globally, more than one in five prisoners are imprisoned for drug offenses, and in addition, it is estimated that up to 500,000 people are subject to some form of mandatory drug imprisonment, with tens of thousands being held against their will. in private “rehabilitation” centers.
The report also highlights inequalities in access to controlled drugs, with more than 82% of the world’s population having access to less than 17% of the world’s morphine. Developed countries consume the vast majority of morphine for palliative and pain management.
Moreover, only one in five drug addicts have access to treatment, and there are large disparities in access to care between rich and poor countries.
The failure of UN drug policies is changing global perceptions of drug prohibition, with the number of people who can legally access internationally controlled drugs for non-medical use doubling since 2019, according to the report.
In recent years, a number of countries, such as Uruguay, Canada, Luxembourg, Malta and 23 US states have legalized the sale of cannabis. for recreational purposes, and other countries such as Germany are also planning to regulate its consumption.
Diego Garcia-SayanPeru’s former Minister of Justice and Foreign Affairs, the report condemns.
Throughout my career as a lawyer, judge, and minister, I have seen first-hand how drug laws contribute to violence and mass incarceration, especially of women, racial and ethnic minorities, and people living in poverty.
“This report should lay the foundation for a process of deep reform that moves away from the global punitive paradigm and protects health, well-being and human rights,” he concluded.
Next year, @A Member States will review progress towards achieving international #drugpolicy agreements.
Today, @IDPCnet Launches #OffTrack2024report compiling a variety of evidence of dramatic failures#War on Drugs‘approach: https://t.co/l4SUAcHUJ6
— IDPC (@IDPCnet) December 5, 2023
(according to information from EFE)
Source: Aristegui Noticias
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