A joint contribution by: Professor Dave Bewley-Taylor, Martin Jelsma and Damon Barrett

State-level cannabis reforms, which gathered steam this month, have exposed the inability of the United States to abide by the terms of the legal bedrock of the global drug control system; the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs. This is something that should force a much-needed conversation about reform to long-standing international agreements. But while ostensibly 'welcoming' the international drug policy reform debate, it is a conversation the US federal government actually wishes to avoid. The result is a new official position on the UN drugs treaties that, despite its seductively progressive tone, serves only to sustain the status quo and may cause damage beyond drug policy.

The 1961 Single Convention has been massively influential. Almost every state in the world is bound to prohibit cultivation, trade and possession of cannabis and a range of other substances such as coca and opium for anything but medical and scientific purposes. Wherever you are, your drugs laws are probably modeled on this agreement.

The United States has been a staunch defender of this legal regime. The treaties are central to its foreign policy on drugs, including in Latin America. But at home the government has been clear that it will not trample on the will of voters with regard to cannabis, even though this places it in breach of the 1961 Convention. So the US faces a predicament; a treaty breach it does not wish to admit within a system it wishes to protect.

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

Fatal attraction: Brownfield's flexibility doctrine and global drug policy reform

The arbitrary and excessive use of pretrial detention is a massive and widely ignored pattern of human rights abuse that affects—by a conservative estimate—15 million people a year. The right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty is universal, but at this moment some 3.3 million people are behind bars waiting for a trial that may be months or even years away. No right is so broadly accepted in theory but so commonly violated in practice. The global overuse of pretrial detention is among the most overlooked human rights crises of our time.

Presumption of guilt: The global overuse of pretrial detention

绿色党的总统候选人彼得Sinkamba承诺其选民通过种植和出口大麻来削减国家对矿业的依赖。英语版本拥有更多信息，请阅读下文。

随时掌握与药物政策发展相关的最新信息。

Peter Sinkamba on campaign trail in Chingola city, part of Zambia’s copperbelt.Photograph: Courtesy of The Independent Observer

For decades, Zambia has staked its economic fortunes on copper mining. But when voters in this southern African nation go to the polls in January to select a new president, at least one candidate will be looking to send that tradition up in smoke.

On Friday, Peter Sinkamba will announce his candidacy on the Green party ticket to replace the late President Michael Sata, who died on 29 October from an undisclosed illness. Sinkamba, regarded as Zambia’s leading environmentalist for his battles against the country’s big copper mines, is running on an unlikely platform, especially in this socially conservative nation: legalising marijuana.

His plan, first announced in April, calls for cannabis’ legalisation for medicinal use in Zambia, which would be a first in Africa. The surplus crop would be exported abroad, earning Zambia what Sinkamba claims could be billions of dollars.

At stake is an opportunity to diversify Zambia’s economy while beginning to clean up the environmental degradation left by close to a century of intensive opencast mining.

Copper has long been Zambia’s national treasure, having fired the country to middle-income status in the 1960s and 70s. But by the late 1990s, tumbling copper prices sent the country’s mining income to its lowest levels since independence from the UK in 1964.

Mining has since rebounded. In 2012, copper exports amounted to $6.3bn (£4bn), or nearly 70% of Zambia’s total export market. But many Zambians now find their country’s dependency on copper stifling. Local communities suffer from environmental impacts like toxic sulphur dioxide emissions from refineries.

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

赞比亚能通过大麻来挽救环境吗？

这个问卷旨在美洲范围内编制法律信息，服务获取，部门间协调和患艾滋病的妇女人权的信息。英语版本拥有更多信息，请阅读下文。

Pursuant to Resolution AG/RES. 2802 (XLIII-O/13) on the “Promotion and Protection of the Human Rights of People Vulnerable to, Living with or Affected by HIV/AIDS in the Americas,” which was adopted by the General Assembly of the Organization of American States in June 2013, as well as the collaboration agreement signed between the OAS and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) in January 2014, both entities are collaborating on the preparation of a 

joint report on “The Social and Human Rights Dimensions of HIV in the Americas.

” The report will serve to inform discussions among Member States and between States and their allies on the challenges that exist to an effective response to HIV and the actions necessary to effectively and sustainably implement integrated care, prevention and support.

The Inter-American Commission of Women (CIM) of the OAS will coordinate the preparation of 

a chapter of this report on “The Human Rights of Women Living with HIV in the Americas

,” by compiling information from the national level through a questionnaire directed to OAS Member States and key civil society organizations, on four issues:

Access to support services and resources;

Inter-sectoral coordination and participation; and

We request your kind collaboration in returning the completed questionnaire no later than 

关于美洲患艾滋病的妇女人权的问卷

这个运动是“智能司法公平正义” 呼吁结束毒品战争和在美国的大规模监禁。英语版本拥有更多信息，请阅读下文。

For the last four decades, the USA has relentlessly expanded the size of our criminal justice system, needlessly throwing away too many lives and wasting trillions of taxpayer dollars. This criminal justice system is unproductive, wasteful, and dominated by racial disparities. Bad policies are made, and bad policies can be changed. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) campaign is called Smart Justice Fair Justice at it is already implementing solutions.

Join the fight against mass incarceration.

Some of the proposals include the following:

Over the last 40 years, we've spent trillions of dollars enforcing senseless drug laws. Drug use has not declined, while millions of people – disproportionately poor people and people of color – have been swept into a net of correctional control that is difficult to escape and derails lives. Many have been arrested just for having a small amount of drugs. Better solutions exist.

The hallmark of a legitimate justice system is fairness. And yet, today in America, hundreds of thousands of people are serving decades-long prison sentences that are far out of proportion to their crimes. The culprit? Extreme sentencing laws and mandatory minimum laws that strip judges of their ability to make the sentence actually fit the crime. It's time to change these laws.

 Some people and corporations – such as private companies that get larger payments from the state the longer they hold someone – have a vested interest in the status quo and are working to thwart smart reforms that could reduce incarceration. We need to incentivize smart and fair practices like keeping people in the community when they don't pose a threat.

 Hundreds of thousands of people are locked up not based on any dangerous behavior, but because they could not pay off a fine or were convicted of a nonviolent drug or property crime. Some behind bars are so frail because of old age or illness that they can barely walk. We need to rethink the costly practice of keeping these people behind bars.

 Problems like mental illness, substance use disorders, and homelessness are more appropriately addressed outside the criminal justice system altogether. Services like drug treatment and affordable housing cost less and can have a better record of success. It's time we got serious about pulling our money out of incarceration and putting it into systems that foster healthy communities.

美国公民自由联盟发起了一项活动：结束在美国的大规模监禁

通过参加今年的全球药物调查，你将成为世界上最大的药物使用模式调查的一部分！英语版本拥有更多信息，请阅读下文。

By taking part in this year's Global Drug Survey, you will be part of the biggest survey of drug use patterns in the world. Last year almost 80,000 took part in GDS2014. The target this year, with media partners in 19 countries and with the survey having been translated into 8 languages is 120,000. That’s a lot of experience, expertise and opinion to share.

参加2015年全球药品调查！

桑托斯和克莱格的会谈将被视为显著地加强了即将在2016年举行的联合国大会关于毒品的特别会议中毒品改革的新兴自由联盟的力量。英语版本拥有更多信息，请阅读下文。

Nick Clegg wants the UK to take a lead role in forging an alliance between European and Latin American countries aiming to reform global drugs laws focused on prohibition.

The deputy prime minister believes that the UN special session on drugs in 2016 offers a “unique opportunity” to push for alternatives to the current system. “We need to seize it,” Clegg said. “The war on drugs has failed and there are now a large number of states who agree on the need for change.”

Clegg was speaking after meeting Colombia’s president, Juan Manuel Santos, for talks about his country’s peace negotiations with the Farc guerrillas and what both see as an emerging international consensus for reform of international drugs policy.

The talks between Santos and Clegg will be seen as a significant strengthening of the emerging liberal alliance on drugs reform, a move heavily resisted by the Lib Dems’ coalition partners.

尼克•克莱格和胡安•曼努埃尔•桑托斯领导关于药物改革的全球倡议

A reduction in funding support for needle and syringe exchange programs, together with a major increase in the use of new psychoactive substances in Romania, has resulted in a massive increase in HIV cases among people who inject drugs. Furthermore in Romania poor health care services provided for people who live with drugs is the main cause for the renewed spread of tuberculosis, leading to increased mortality.

Check out Drugreporters’ latest Drugfacts infographic, made in cooperation with Romanian Harm Reduction Network.

Infographic: Romania’s second plague - Tuberculosis

Can Zambia save its environment with marijuana?

该调查旨在评估丙型肝炎 (HCV) 所需面对的问题及需要的治疗。

罹患丙型肝炎时所面对的许多问题都难以量化，有时甚至难以描述。通常人们难以表达丙型肝炎对某些事情的影响，例如自信心、精力或情绪、对健康状况或治疗的恐惧心理、将疾病诊断告知爱人或同事的体验。

本调查从世界各地采集的匿名数据将被用于为医务工作者（医师、护士及专科医师）及公众提供新的疾病认知——这为您提供了一个好机会，可以分享真实的丙型肝炎信息并号召其他人加入到抗击这种疾病行列。

英语版本拥有更多信息，请阅读下文。

欢迎参与 HCV 问答

Опрос проводится с целью определить, каково жить с гепатитом С (ВГС) и проходить лечение от этого заболевания.

Многие испытания, с которыми сталкиваются люди, живущие гепатитом С, трудно измерить, а иногда даже объяснить. Сложно выразить словами, как гепатит С влияет на такие жизненные аспекты, как уверенность в себе, энергию или настроение, страхи, которые Вы можете испытывать относительно Вашего здоровья или лечения, а также сложности, связанные с раскрытием и обсуждением своего диагноза с близкими или коллегами.

Этот опрос собирает анонимные данные со всего мира для их использования с целью определения новых идей и подходов для медицинских работников (врачей, медсестер и других специалистов), а также широкой общественности – это Ваша возможность поделиться правдой о гепатите С и призвать других присоединиться к борьбе против заболевания.

Оставайтесьвкурсесобытийнаркополитики, подписавшисьна

Добро пожаловать в Исследование Гепатита С

Esta pesquisa busca um maior esclarecimento sobre a realidade vivida por um paciente com Hepatite C e sobre como se dá o tratamento da doença.

Muitos desafios enfrentados pelos pacientes de Hepatite C são difíceis de mensurar e descrever. Pode ser complicado expressar o impacto da Hepatite C em aspectos como a confiança, a disposição e o humor, bem como dividir o receio que pode se sentir ao abordar aspectos relativos à saúde e ao tratamento ou até a experiência do diagnóstico com parentes queridos ou amigos.

Os dados reunidos por esta pesquisa retratam a posicionamentos anônimos de todo o mundo e serão usados para trazer novas abordagens aos profissionais de saúde (médicos, enfermeiros e especialistas) e ao público em geral – é sua oportunidade de compartilhar a realidade que a Hepatite C traz e incentivar outras pessoas a participarem da luta contra esta doença também.

Registe-se para recever as Alertas mensais do IDPC e obter informação sobre questões relacionadas com as políticas de drogas.

News