Over a year after the activation of the National Committee for Combating Addiction, some judges are still refusing to apply the drug law by allowing drug users to seek treatment in lieu of prosecution.
India's approach towards drug use fails to address the central role that rights protections play in ensuring the overall well-being of people who use drugs.
Public discussion of cannabis legalisation has leaped to a new high in Austria after the neoliberal newcomer in parliament, the Neos party, has voted to push the issue at its annual general meeting.
If the parliament passes the new code, anyone caught smoking, or even possessing, a single marijuana cigarette will be liable to a term of 1 to 6 years' imprisonment.
While national HIV prevalence is low, a higher burden of HIV is found among key populations and in certain geographic areas, such as urban settings and in the Papua provinces.