I first met Neil Woods at a drug law reform conference. Knowing an undercover drugs detective was watching me give a speech, I scanned the audience, trying to spot who it could be. What kind of character chooses a career of gang infiltration, treading an encumbered path, losing your own identity in efforts to catch gangsters?

I was surprised when Neil came forward to introduce himself. Far from the storybook cop that I expected to meet, Neil struck me as a quiet and obviously humble individual. He had an understated charm and blisteringly apparent knowledge. Neil was keen to begin his journey of what he would possibly describe as atonement. I was acutely aware that Neil’s story was fascinating to the point of unfettered intrigue and voyeurism.

It was clear that Neil’s allegory should be heard, and it didn’t take long for community interest groups and the media to take an interest in his story. Culturally, we seem to be fascinated by works of fiction such as The Wire, Trainspotting, Breaking Bad, we’re enthralled by drugs and the overlapping cultures – but does real life differ from dramatisation?

In his career on the streets, he witnessed beatings, stabbings, had swords held to his own throat, and was in grave danger on a near daily basis, all in the name of policing our drug laws. This is not the kind of work you train for; it’s the very definition of ‘on the job’ and one mistake could well be your last. Not to mention the rather taboo subject of police corruption. Where there’s money, there’s corruption, and with a global trade of around $320billion per year, it’s easy to see how drug money permeates every level of society.

Unprecedented insight comes from being at the coalface of the ‘war on drugs’ – Neil witnessed first-hand that 90 per cent of drug use is non-problematic, a figure which the UN also recognises, and yet we wield a rather large stick at those who consume certain drugs. Costing around £7 billion per year to the British tax payer, efforts to criminalise our way out of a problem are only made worse by the punitive polices which we try and apply.

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

Whistleblowing on the ‘war on drugs’ 

The 3rd Executive Course on Human Rights and Drug Policy in West Africa recently hosted (25 - 30 July, 2016) by the Faculty of Law, University of Ghana emphasised the need for Policy Review within the Sub-Region.

In an increasingly interconnected world, Nigeria and the entire West African sub region has become an attractive destination for transnational organized crimes. One of such is drug trafficking.

Drug cartels have always collaborated with local partners to turn the region and their individual nations into major transit routes for illicit drugs. The region has long produced cannabis mainly for local consumption which is the most abused drug. It is now fast becoming a producer and exporter of synthetic drugs such as amphetamine-type stimulant.

According to a report by the West Africa Commission on Drugs released in 2014, drug trade in the sub-region was valued at hundreds of millions of dollars. This justifies the United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon’s claim during a UN Security Council debate in 2013 that the annual value of cocaine for example, transiting through West Africa was 1.25 billion US dollars.

This is significantly more than the annual budget of some countries in the region. Ironically, while this may sound lucrative and attractive, it is disheartening to note that virtually all the countries in the region including Nigeria are still among the poorest in the world. The growth in drug trafficking comes as the region is emerging from years of political conflict and prolonged violence.

This instability has left a legacy of fragile state of institutions and weak criminal justice systems that are vulnerable to infiltration and corruption by organized crimes. While democracy has gained ground in the continent, the prevalence of this illicit trade appears to be an eminent threat to its sustenance.

The unwholesome trade has also led to increase in money laundering. Despite efforts in establishing effective anti money laundering regimes, the needs still outweigh the capacity, resources and political will in some instances. There is an urgent need for formidable policies at national and regional levels to contain the menace.

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

The need for drug policy reform in Nigeria and West Africa

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte today dropped his reflexive praise for the recent alarming surge in police killings of criminal suspects. Instead, he said that he and his government are willing to “submit ourselves for an investigation” into those deaths. Also for the first time, Duterte cautioned police to refrain from using deadly force “if you’re not in danger of losing your life.” That contrasts with his promise to Philippine voters during the election campaign that he “will solve drugs, criminality, and corruption in three to six months” by whatever means necessary.

Duterte’s comments are long overdue, but the sharp rise in police killings of suspected criminals and drug offenders requires government action, not rhetoric. Philippine human rights groups have documented the surge in killings since Duterte took office on June 30. The Philippine Daily Inquirer’s twice-weekly “Kill List,” which tallies the killings of suspected drug dealers and users by police and unidentified vigilantes, records a “marked and unmistakable” rise in such killings – 646 deaths since Duterte was sworn in.

Philippine president should investigate surging police killings 

Medical marijuana patients in Canada will be allowed to grow a limited amount of cannabis for their own use or designate someone to grow it for them, the government said on Thursday.

The government had been given six months to comply with a federal court ruling that struck down the previous administration's ban on medical patients' growing cannabis.

Health Canada said medical marijuana patients would also continue to have the option of buying cannabis from one of 34 producers licensed by the federal government.

But it reiterated that storefronts selling marijuana, commonly known as dispensaries or compassion clubs, are not authorized to sell cannabis for medical or any other purposes.

"These operations are illegally supplied, and provide products that are unregulated and may be unsafe. Illegal storefront distribution and sale of cannabis in Canada are subject to law enforcement action," Health Canada said in a statement.

Canada's former Conservative government overhauled the country's medical marijuana program in 2013, requiring patients buy cannabis from licensed producers through a mail order system.

A federal court judge in Vancouver ruled in February that the restrictions imposed by the Marijuana for Medical Purposes law were arbitrary.

Canada to allow medical patients to grow own cannabis 

RIO DE JANEIRO — Fans were lining up to watch an American beach volleyball duo square off against Mexico on the alluring sands of Copacabana Beach.

But across town, far from the Olympic excitement, the crackling of gun battles echoed through the colossal favelas that envelop Rio de Janeiro’s hillsides.

As soon as he heard the bullets whizzing by early on Tuesday, Richard Conceição Dias, 9, knew what to do. “I lied down on the floor, hugging my mom,” said Richard, who lives in a one-room home in the sprawling Complexo do Alemão group of favelas with his mother and his three sisters. “She told me, ‘Get away from the window, close your eyes, dream about something nice.’” Much of Rio is reveling in the excitement of the Games. Well-heeled partygoers are quaffing caipirinhas alongside supermodels and astronautsat lavish Olympic soirees hosted by sponsors like Omega, the Swiss watch maker. Thousands of soldiers are patrolling Rio’s upscale seaside districts to ease fears of muggings and other crime.

Beyond Olympic glow, a vicious drug war rages in Rio

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton plans to reschedule marijuana if she is elected in November, according to a statement issued by the campaign.

While the Drug Enforcement Administration denied a petitionearly Thursday to remove marijuana from its Schedule I list under the Controlled Substances Act, leaving the drug lumped in with heroin, LSD and other elicit substances, the Clinton campaign thinks that rescheduling the drug serves a higher purpose.

“Marijuana is already being used for medical purposes in states across the country, and it has the potential for even further medical use,” Maya Harris, a senior policy advisor to Clinton’s campaign, said in a statement, reported by 

. “As Hillary Clinton has said throughout this campaign, we should make it easier to study marijuana so that we can better understand its potential benefits, as well as its side effects.

The DEA’s decision to keep pot as a Schedule I drug affirmed the federal government’s belief that there is insufficient evidence to show that any “specific benefits” the drug might offer would outweigh any of the “known risks.”

Clinton, however, seems to disagree and the campaign contended that if elected, she would reclassify the drug to a Schedule II substance, which would mean acceptance that marijuana has a medical use for treatment.

“As president, Hillary will build on the important steps announced today by rescheduling marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule II substance. She will also ensure Colorado, and other states that have enacted marijuana laws, can continue to serve as laboratories of democracy,” Harris continued.

Hillary Clinton campaign says she would reschedule marijuana

The US government will announce on Thursday that it will allow more research into marijuana but rejected requests to loosen the classification of the substance as a dangerous drug with no medical use, sources with direct knowledge of the matter said.

The decision, to be announced by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), is an answer to a 2011 petition filed by two former state governors who asked federal agencies to reclassify marijuana as a drug with accepted medical uses, said two people who asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the matter.

The DEA declined to comment, and the Food and Drug Administration did not immediately respond.

But the DEA, in an email sent by its public affairs division to stakeholders on Wednesday, said the agency would be making “important announcements regarding marijuana-related topics” on Thursday.

For decades, marijuana has been classified as a Schedule I drug with “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse”, on par with heroin.

The expected change would show that the Obama administration is open to expanding legitimate research into pot’s effects, even though the administration and Congress appear to be far from endorsing its broader use or legalization.

Twenty-five states have sanctioned some forms of marijuana use for medical purposes. Four states – Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and Colorado – and the District of Columbia have gone even further, allowing its recreational use for adults.

US said to allow more weed research but won't loosen its drug classification 

China has consistently taken an incredibly hard-line stance against people who use illegal drugs. As the government enforces strict punishments, often in the name of rehabilitation, both human rights abuses and drug addiction rates are worsening.

There are an estimated 12 million regular drug users in China, and illegal production ofmethamphetamine and ketamine is surging in the country. President Xi Jinping has described illegal drugs as "a menace for society [that] severely harm health, corrupt will, destroy families, consume wealth, poison society, pollute the social environment, and lead to other crimes". As a response to this perception, authorities are detaining thousands of people in squalid conditions for drug use or possession.

Under Xi’s presidency, the government has also begun cracking down on the rising numbers of affluent users, including government officials and even Jackie Chan’s son. Meanwhile, those found to be trafficking drugs face even harsher penalties; thousands of people are executed annually for such offences, although precise numbers are unknown due to government secrecy. Such policies have been described as having "solid support among sections of the Chinese population" by Shen Tingting of Asia Catalyst, a regional NGO.

Despite a handful of therapy-based rehabilitation clinics, some new methadone programmes, and asocial acceptance of cannabis use in certain provinces, China remains one of the worst places in the world to be a drug user. Until 2013, the government operated highly controversial forced labour camps for a variety of offenders. Following heavy criticism, inmates who had committed non-drug related crimes were released early, and replaced by people who had been found to use or sell drugs. The camps have been rebranded as drug detention centres, in which people are incarcerated for up to seven years without trial, and continue to undertake forced labour for no pay.

Thousands held in brutal Chinese drug detention centres 

Cape Town, 3rd August 2016 – The Director of Social Affairs of the African Union Commission (AUC), Amb. Olawale Maiyegun, presided over the opening ceremony of the Technical Consultation on drug demand reduction which kicked off on Wednesday 3rd August 2016 in Cape Town in the presence of representatives of partner organisations in the area of drug control as well as Experts on drug use epidemiology from AU Member States.

Director Maiyegun underscored the need for balanced and integrated responses towards drug control. He said the issue of drug control is beyond just being a security problem, it is also a public health issue. He recalled that the theme of this year: 2016, African year on Human Rights with a particular focus on the Rights of Women ties with the objectives of combatting drug use while respecting the rights for access to drugs and harnessing the demographic dividend which will be the AU theme for the year 2017.

The Director emphasised on the importance of involving the youth in all efforts done at national, regional and continental levels given that, according to statistics, they are the largest population to be affected by the different types of drug abuse. “The focus of the consultation is to review where we are at with improving access to comprehensive, evidence-informed, ethical and human rights based drug use prevention, dependence, treatment and aftercare services; as well as to plan for the development of systematic, structured and sustainable drug use epidemiology systems underlined Amb. Maiyegun.”

Continental consultation on drug demand reduction opens in Cape Town 

President Obama commuted the prison terms for 214 federal inmates Wednesday, the most by a president in a single day in at least a century and brings his communication total in 71/2 years to greater than the number granted in the previous 48.

Among those granted clemency by Mr. Obama were 67 inmates serving life prison terms, mostly for drug crimes and not always from small amounts.

The action brings the number of commutations by Mr. Obama to 562, more than the previous nine presidents combined, from John F. Kennedy onward. It’s coupled with his push to reform federal sentencing guidelines for drug crimes.

White House counsel Neil Eggleston said the president isn’t nearly finished, with more than five months remaining in office. “I expect the president will continue to grant clemency in a historic and inspiring fashion,” he said.

Obama commutes sentences of 214 convicts, including 67 in prison for life 

The UNAIDS PCB held its 38th meeting last June 28-30, 2016.

UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibe’s report highlighted the recent milestones in the Joint Programme, including the recently concluded UN High Level Meeting (HLM), as well as the challenges relating to the financial crisis affecting UNAIDS Secretariat and the Joint Programme. Our post-HLM reflections reflect the diverse and mixed reactions of civil society, on what was achieved and not. The exclusion of some key population organizations from participating at the HLM was deemed unacceptable by the NGO Delegation.

Contentious issues at the PCB included the NGO Report on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights of Key Populations in the context of Development Rights and the revised Unified Budget Review Accountability Framework (UBRAF). The NGO report, which was postponed from the 37thPCB meeting, still encountered severe resistance from some Member States, prompting us to reframe our decision points. Indeeed, if the language issue around SRHR puts people more at risk than the actual HIV burden, there is need to refocus our engagement to reach the goal of ending AIDS. The NGO Delegation affirmed the call to fully fund the UBRAF so that the Fast Track Strategy gets meaningfully implemented.

Leaving out community will not make any impact in this fight against HIV globally.

Thumbnail: Flickr CC Executive Learning Conference Center Foll

The NGO delegation’s communique for the 38th PCB meeting 

 (marijuana bonanza). In the 1970s and 1980s smokers in the United States were especially partial to Santa Marta Gold, a variety of cannabis grown on the slopes of Colombia’s Sierra Nevada. It has “a sweet, intense aroma” and “powerful psychedelic effects”, says WeedWiki, a website. But government fumigators, plus competition from American-grown weed, ended the Santa Marta Goldrush. Farmers switched to coca, the raw material of cocaine.

Now Colombia hopes to cash in on a new cannabis-based bonanza, set off by legalisation in parts of the United States and elsewhere. The government recently licensed three companies to process extracts, resins and oils for treating such ailments as cancer, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis. Its ambition is to build medical marijuana into a business as big as cut flowers, which bring in more than $1 billion in export revenue. Colombia could be “the winner of this emerging global market”, said Alejandro Gaviria, the health minister.

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