Even though there is evidence that we are moving towards a less punitive approach to drug policy, there is still so much more to be done in terms of harm reduction interventions and the effectiveness of the current drug policies.
The response by the Board's President to a Thai party including the legal regulation of cannabis in their electoral platform is beyond disproportionate.
In a geo-political context vastly different from the ‘mood of change’ that had characterised the 2016 UNGASS debate, it is critical that reform-minded NGOs keep the pressure on both governments and the UN – and continued advocacy at the UN level to challenge the international regime to retain the gains made at the UNGASS is a priority.
The ruling of the South African Constitutional Court regarding the unconstitutionality of full cannabis prohibition challenges the country's status quo, and raises the debate on which regulatory models should be followed.
Cracks in this well-trodden system have long been apparent in Vienna but finally reached a breaking point in an unlikely place – New York – as negotiations for the annual resolution “International cooperation to address and counter the world drug problem” (also known as the drugs “omnibus” resolution) came to a close last month.
The INCB’s intervention was an overwhelmingly positive one, promoting better access to controlled medicines, as well as an end to the application of the death penalty and extrajudicial killings in the name of drug control.
