The policy forum brought together international and local experts and policymakers and stressed anti-drug policy must shift from punishment to treatment, emphasising the need to introduce harm reduction policies.
São Paulo’s pioneering harm reduction programme for people who use crack cocaine faces an uncertain future following the recent election of a new mayor who claims he will shut it down.
Myanmar's drug policy has historically focused "mainly on supply reduction and law enforcement [leading] to limited results." Myanmar has now decided to "develop a balanced and comprehensive drug control policy ... including prevention, treatment and rehabilitation".
A BMJ report suggests that current abstinence-based drug policies have failed and the continued deviation from a drug policy with harm reduction at its core will only lead to more deaths
Despite efforts by the Russian Government to target harm reduction & HIV prevention organisations, the Moscow City Court has refused to bring charges against the Andrey Rylkov Foundation for Health and Social Justice - the largest provider of such services in Moscow.
Whilst over half of countries with IV drug use have some form of harm reduction programmes, the total spend in low and middle income countries on harm reduction totals only $160m. Much work remains to be done.
New government regulations will allow highly-controlled and ministry-sanctioned cannabis production in selected provinces for medical and scientific purposes
The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court states that any person engaging in acts of mass violence falls within the jurisdiction of the Court and can be prosecuted.
Vancouver, home to North America's first supervised injection site, is to open the first women-only injection site after concerns were raised at mixed-sex sites.
Kratom, a plant used by some to aid opiate withdrawal, was to be banned by the DEA. For the first time, the DEA has reversed a decision based on public and federal pressure
