Responding to the publication of a new report by the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health calling on governments to move away from punitive responses to drugs and to instead take an approach grounded on harm reduction and human rights ahead of World Drugs Day on 26 June, Erika Guevara-Rosas Amnesty International’s Senior Director for Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns, said:
“This is a bold and urgent call on governments worldwide to finally abandon the manifestly failed policies of the so-called ‘war on drugs’. For over six decades, this ill-conceived approach to public health has not only failed to reduce the use and supply of drugs, it has also resulted in widespread human rights violations, violence, mass incarceration, suffering and abuse across the globe, affecting disproportionately people from historically marginalized communities.
This is a bold and urgent call on governments worldwide to finally abandon the manifestly failed policies of the so-called ‘war on drugs’
Amnesty International's Senior Director of Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns, Erika Guevara-Rosas
“This report powerfully highlights that another way is possible. Focusing on harm reduction, treatment and social support has proven the benefits of putting human rights at the centre of drug policies. Years of evidence and mounting data from civil society organizations and human rights mechanisms all over the world testify to the effectiveness of these methods in reducing the adverse health, social and economic consequences of drugs.
“Many lives have been sacrificed and it’s time to stop wasting resources. Governments must consign the ‘war on drugs’ to history and start implementing all the recommendations outlined in this report. This includes decriminalizing personal use, possession, cultivation and acquisition of drugs and moving towards the effective regulation of drugs to ensure legal and safe access for those authorized.”
Focusing on harm reduction, treatment and social support has proven the benefits of putting human rights at the centre of drug policies
Erika Guevara-Rosas
Marking “World Drugs Day” on 26 June, as activists worldwide are joining together under the #SupportDontPunish campaign, Amnesty International is launching its new policy paper, ‘Time for change: advancing new drug policies that uphold human rights’. The paper outlines clear recommendations to governments and intergovernmental organizations for advancing drug policies that better uphold human rights.
Background
The UN Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health is an independent expert of the Human Rights Council.
In her most recent report presented to the Human Rights Council today, the Special Rapporteur explores how punitive drug policies have had an impact on the right to health, particularly affecting marginalized communities and individuals who face intersectional forms of discrimination. The report clearly underscores once again that harm reduction is an inherent component of the right to health and urges countries to move away from punitive responses to drugs that have been harmful and counterproductive.