Rights of people who use drugs - Report by the Middle East and North Africa Harm Reduction Association

Drug use is one of the phenomena prevalent in various degrees all over the world and the numbers of people who use drugs (PWUD) have increased in the last years. States have therefore begun to build community immunity to reduce the violations that PWD face. Special treatment has been granted to this group to ensure the development of their behavior through rehabilitation and social integration, as an alternative for persecution and sanction. The use of justice to deter people who use drugs is a complex and costly process for the judiciary. It also leads to prison overcrowding, in addition to increasing the social challenges and the social stigma against PWUD.ç

Legal systems in various countries have convergedtodifferentdegreesby creatingalternatives for punishment by granting judges and public prosecutors the discretionary powers to use these alternatives before or during judicial prosecution and enforce “treatment and care as alternatives for punishment and conviction”; as advocated by all legal experts. This report will highlight the rights of PWUD and the legal systems that concern them in Jordan, Tunisia, Lebanon, Morocco and Egypt while showing the violations that these people encounter in society, and which will be discussed at a later stage. In addition, the existing social issues facing PWUD in our Arab societies will be clarified by conducting interviews with legal experts and activists from the five countries mentioned on the rights of PWUD, and identifying legal procedures and their consequences in all five countries in order to recognize to what extent treatment and care are considered as alternatives for sanctions.