With the UNGASS taking place in April, it is time for member states to endorse a new approach - The Ithaca Plan, like those that came before it, points the way forward.
Part of the effort to reform drug policy must address the systemic faults that exacerbate the plight of women caught in the crossfire of the war of drugs.
Ukraine, and the rest of the world, should change drug policy paradigm, said Michel Kazatchkine, the UN secretary general’s special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
After almost a year of debate since its initial proposal, the Psychoactive Substances Bill reached Royal Assent on the 28th of January 2016, and will become law on the 6th of April 2016.
Cannabis has its dangers, and there is room for argument about how to minimise the harm. But heavy-handed reliance on the criminal law is a failing approach that has been tried for long enough.
This International Women’s Day, in the run up to the UNGASS, we’re focusing on women who use drugs who are often overlooked in HIV and harm reduction programmes, despite being increasingly affected.
