La réforme des politiques des drogues en Amérique Latine: discours et réalité

Ce rapport de CEDD analyse les réformes des politiques des drogues et la tendance vers la baisse des taux d'incarcération en Amérique Latine ces dernières années. Pour en savoir plus, en anglais, veuillez lire les informations ci-dessous.

Abonnez-vous à l'Alerte mensuelle de l'IDPC pour recevoir des informations relatives à la politique des drogues.

This brief shows how current drug policies have been questioned within Latin America and analyzes the reforms undertaken in recent years; however, these initiatives have not yet changed the strategy of continuing to use criminal law as the main state response to address drugrelated issues. The research done by CEDD indicates that the emphasis on a punitive approach keeps sending more and more people to prison for drug offenses, and they tend to represent a significant proportion of the overall penitentiary population.

In recent years, Latin America has been pointed to as one of the regions in the world where there has been the greatest questioning of the drug policies designed at the international level. In numerous forums, officials have raised concerns and some countries have carried out reforms. However, these initiatives have not yet changed the strategy of continuing to use criminal law as the main state response to address drugrelated problems. This has translated into the incarceration of low-level actors in the drug trade who are interchangeable and in situations of vulnerability. On occasion, this strategy has even ended up affecting drug users. The information gathered in the nine countries that belong to the Research Consortium on Drugs and the Law (Colectivo de Estudios Drogas y Derecho, CEDD) indicates that the punitive approach continues sending more and more people to prison for drug offenses. They tend to represent a significant proportion of all people in prison—in several countries, 1 in every 5—and in the majority of countries, this group is growing at a faster rate than that of the overall prison population.

Keep up-to-date with drug policy developments by subscribing to the IDPC Monthly Alert.