Approaching the third year since the WHO declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern and consecutive pandemic, the spread of COVID-19 remains a global threat to public health, exacerbating existing inequalities and negatively impacting the enjoyment of human rights. Although vaccination coverage is central to achieving the strategic goals for COVID-19 response set out by the WHO, equitable and universal access to and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines remains a challenge, disproportionately impacting marginalised communities globally. As of May 20224 , almost one billion people in lower-income countries remained unvaccinated, and only 57 countries had vaccinated 70% of their population (nearly all of them high-income countries). People who use drugs and people deprived of liberty have been historically marginalised and invisibilised in the design and implementation of public health strategies and policies, and global pandemic responses were no exception. Although both groups are at high risk of contracting the virus and having health complications, they remain mostly invisible to policymakers and the international community, leading to limited access to COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. 

This submission will focus on challenges, practices and opportunities related to the inclusion and prioritisation of people who use drugs and people in prison in the design, planning, and rolling-out of COVID-19 vaccination programs.

Submission to OHCHR for the High Commissioner’s report on human rights implications of and good practices and key challenges of equitable and universal access to and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines

Despite rising overdose deaths, there’s some important good news regarding opioid misuse. Rates of nonmedical use by high school seniors have fallen by nearly 83 percent since 2002, when 14 percent reported having ever tried using prescription pain pills to get high. By 2021, that proportion was down to just 2 percent. Heroin use also shows a precipitous drop, with only 0.4 percent of 12th graders reporting trying it as of 2021.

This is especially welcome news because teen use is an excellent predictor of the course of drug epidemics: The vast majority of addictions start in late adolescence or early adulthood. Since the deadliest opioids like fentanyl are most often sold in the guise of prescription pain pills or heroin, this bodes well for reductions in overdose deaths.

But to translate this positive change into lasting reductions in addiction and overdoses, it’s important to understand how drug use patterns change over time and not view them solely as isolated crises related to specific substances.

The most important question about addiction

Call for Papers: Special Issue: Drug policy history, design and practice in Asia / Journal of Illicit Economies and Development

The history, policies and practice of drug control in Asia, from opium wars to the first multilateral agreements on drug control, to the illegal production of scheduled substances (plant-based and synthetic), from the trafficking routes throughout the continent to the drug-free societies policies have been widely analyzed, but in isolation according to geographic sub regions or disciplines. This special issue welcomes articles covering the complete geographical spectrum in Asia, from Northeast Asia to the Middle East, and at providing a space for interdisciplinary research that connects Asian drug trafficking and inter-Asian legal responses’ cooperation. The special issue aims mainly to collect, in one collection, a general overview of the history, the current practice and the policies to address drug production, trafficking and use on the continent which is home to 60% of the world population. The special issue will focus on three key dimensions of drug control that affect Asian countries:

Historical landmarks: including milestones of drug control policy developments at the national level, which shaped the international regime over the last two centuries;

Public health and history of local responses: i) analysis of the burden of infectious diseases, and ii) the state of access to controlled essential medicines; and

Criminal justice and historical landmarks of its development: i) legal responses and punishments, and ii) prison overcrowding and over incarceration.

Calling for papers from different disciplines, and privileging interdisciplinary research, the special issue also encourages and welcomes papers addressing the analysis of contemporary drug-related issues in Asia, including and not limited to: public safety and drug-related crime, policy priorities including the historical, social, cultural and economic mechanisms behind the objective of drug free societies, and data collection challenges.

The guest editors are especially interested in receiving papers based on empirical research and/or analysis with balanced geospatial coverage of countries and sub regions, and will ensure articles invited equally cover Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Central Asia and Western Asia (Middle East).

For more information see the full Call for Papers here: English and Chinese.

Deadline for submission of abstracts (250 words maximum) and letters of intent (LOIs)

Please submit your abstract and bio to the editors:

 Centre for Conflict, Development & Peacebuilding, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Khalid.tinasti@graduateinstitute.ch

, International Centre for Drug Policy Studies, Shanghai University, zhangyongan@shu.edu.cn

特刊征稿｜亚洲毒品政策的历史、制定和实践

在亚洲毒品管制的历史、政策和实践研究中，从鸦片战争到第一个多边毒品管制协议以及列管物质（包括植物性和合成性）的非法生产、从全球毒品贩运路线到无毒品社会政策等内容都受到了广泛关注及分析，但都是按照地理上的次区域或通过单一学科进行研究。因此，本期特刊欢迎涵盖从东北亚到中东整个亚洲地理范围内的文章，并为把亚洲毒品贩运和亚际政策应对合作相联系的跨学科研究提供空间。希望能在本期特刊中收集到占世界人口60%的亚洲大陆的毒品生产、贩运、使用的历史、政策及实践的总体概况。本期将重点关注影响亚洲国家毒品管制的三个关键方面：

历史中的里程碑：包括在过去两个世纪中塑造了国际制度的国家一级毒品管制政策的发展里程碑；

公共卫生和地方应对的历史：（1）传染病负担分析；（2）获得基本管制药物的情况；

刑事司法及其发展的历史里程碑：（1）法律对策和惩罚；（2）监狱过度拥挤和过度监禁。

本刊征集不同学科的文章，并优先考虑跨学科研究，同时鼓励和欢迎分析当代亚洲毒品相关问题的文章，包括但不限于：公共安全和毒品相关犯罪问题、政策优先事项（包括无毒品社会目标背后的历史、社会、文化和经济机制等）、数据收集挑战。

请于2022年11月4日之前提交摘要（不超过250字）和投稿意向书，本刊将在11月24日之前通知入选文章作者，入选者请于2023年1月27日之前提交文章全文。入选文章将接受本刊的同行评审程序（双盲同行评审），计划出版日期为2023年6月。

特邀编辑重点关注基于实证研究和/或分析的论文，并尽可能平衡各国家、次区域等的地理分布，确保入选文章的研究范围涵盖东北亚、东南亚、南亚、中亚和西亚（中东）。

欲了解更多信息，请参阅此处的论文征集全文：英文和中文。

并将其提交给特刊的特邀主编：

哈立德·蒂纳斯蒂，冲突、发展与建设和平中心，日内瓦国际关系和发展高级研究院，Khalid.tinasti@graduateinstitute.ch

张勇安，上海大学国际禁毒政策研究中心，zhangyongan@shu.edu.cn

Special issue: Drug policy history, design and practice in Asia - Call for papers

Voters in five states — Arkansas, Maryland, Missouri, North Dakota, and South Dakota — will decide this Election Day on statewide ballot measures to legalize the use of marijuana by adults.

Currently, 19 states — comprising 44 percent of the US population — have legalized and regulated adult-use marijuana markets. If voters approve these measures, approximately half of all US residents will reside in a jurisdiction where the possession and use of cannabis are legal for adults.

According to recent polling, most of these measures enjoy majority support from the public. “Voters’ support for repealing cannabis criminalization crosses party lines,” NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano said. “That is why, historically, these ballot initiative efforts have been equally successful at the ballot box in both ‘red’ states and in ‘blue’ states. We anticipate similar outcomes this November.”

United States: Voters in five states, dozens of cities to decide on cannabis legalisation measures this November

A recent press release from Amnesty in July 2022 highlighted a spike in Iranian executions, where at least 251 people had been executed in the first half of 2022. This report was confirmed by local Iranian watchdog organisations, noting that more than a third of these executions (36%, or 91 people) had been for drug-related offences. This rise represents a rapid escalation in state-sponsored violence, occurring within a context of raising political unrest in the nation.

Iran Human Rights (IHR) has been monitoring executions in the Islamic Republic of Iran for the past 17 years. According to several reports gathered by them, demonstrate that there had been at least 126 people that were executed for drug-related offences in 2021, a five-fold increase in comparison with the previous three years.

IHR’s work is particularly vital to reporting drug-related deaths, as the Iranian government often hides their executions: IHR said that none of the drug-related executions in 2021 were reported by the state, having instead to verify the deaths through independent sources. Of the 251 conducted in the first half of 2022, only 31 were confirmed by domestic media or government officials.

Drug executions in Iran are back on the rise

Human Rights Watch (HRW) in a statement on Thursday (September 8) said that there’s “no compelling evidence” that could show that the Philippines is serious about investigating, let alone prosecuting, those that were responsible for the killings of the past administration’s war on drugs.

The statement comes after the Philippine government, represented by the Solicitor General, submitted its comment before the pre-trial chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC), arguing that the ICC and its prosecutor, Karim Khan, no longer have jurisdiction over the Philippines.

“Since the Philippines first sought a halt to the prosecutor’s investigation last November, Human Rights Watch has monitored the situation and found no compelling evidence that the government was seriously investigating these cases, let alone prosecuting those responsible,” HRW’s Senior Philippines Researcher, Carlos Conde, said.

Philippines not serious about probing war on drugs

Organizers of a Vancouver compassion club say they will continue to distribute tested cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine despite a rejection from Health Canada, calling it the only way to save lives in the face of a toxic drug supply.

Eris Nyx, co-founder of the Drug User Liberation Front (DULF) — a collective of advocacy groups working to ensure a safe supply of drugs — said regulating the illicit supply is the answer to stopping drug toxicity deaths, which have topped 10,000 in British Columbia since the province declared a public health emergency more than six years ago.

"These people are our friends, our community members, people we love, people we care about very deeply and we're losing them every day. And the driving cause of these deaths is the deregulated and unpredictable illicit drug market,'' Nyx said Wednesday.

Nyx spoke at a news conference marking International Overdose Awareness Day, saying the groups are also seeking a judicial review of the Health Canada decision, on the basis that it didn't consider charter rights to life and equality.

DULF and the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users requested the temporary Criminal Code exemption from Health Canada to operate a compassion club model for hard drugs last year. It was rejected July 29.

Nonetheless, Nyx said the Cocaine, Heroin and Methamphetamine Compassion Club and Fulfilment Centre has operated for one month, distributing 201 grams of drugs with no overdoses or deaths.

Vancouver club will continue to distribute hard drugs in bid to save lives, despite Health Canada rejection

While left-leaning presidential and gubernatorial hopefuls are either silent about or dodging the issue of drug policy in their campaigns and manifestos, there are two political forces gaining momentum in Brazil. The first one emerges from right-wing, military-minded candidates. It aims to normalise the police operations (a cornerstone of prohibitionism) that have claimed several thousands of lives in recent years. The objective, of course, is to provide more equipment and training for police forces, while praising lethal operations that are allegedly carried out to free society from the scourge of drug suppliers.

The second force emerging with strength during this electoral run emanates from civil society. The Brazilian Platform of Drug Policy, allied with the Black Initiative For Drug Policy, launched the campaign “

You are also a victim in the war on drugs

”, with an accompanying Emergency Manifesto For The End of The War on Drugs, inviting society at large to think about how we are all victimised by the violence associated with prohibitionism. The manifesto is organised in four axes: starting with the “Care” Axis, calling for governmental investment into harm reduction-oriented initiatives. Among the demands are the development of drug education programmes, investment in the public health system, the offer of continued professional development for health and social workers, and the provision of adequate spaces to develop harm reduction programmes.

The manifesto was handed to the former and currently leading presidential candidate Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva by the lawyer and activist Dandara Rudsan. With well-structured and straightforward demands, based on the best practices and ideas related to harm reduction, human rights, and reparations, the document can provide good guidance for Lula, if he is elected, to amend the issues related to the drugs legislation he signed back in 2006. The challenges are many, but if he is willing to listen to society, especially those affected by drug policy failures, there will be an opportunity for transformation. We have a unique opportunity to use our social capital and our right to vote to make sure that these demands are met.

Brazilian activists deliver manifesto to end drug war to leading presidential candidate

By Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+)

HIV civil society coalition the Love Alliance launched the first HIV/AIDS Language Compendium. The compendium has been praised as a useful tool for high level United Nations negotiations and can be used for community advocacy to advance human rights commitments — particularly regarding access to healthcare and sexual and reproductive health and rights.

A number of countries are pushing back on internationally-accepted language around rights and gender within the global HIV response, with dire consequences for political commitments, programs and funding. The HIV/AIDS Language Compendium released provides policymakers and activists with the words to fight back.

UN political declarations on HIV and AIDS have historically been adopted by consensus. Still, four countries voted against the latest declaration at the 2021 meeting. Their opposition followed unsuccessful attempts to remove language in the document affirming the rights of key populations, such as young people and people who use drugs, as well as reproductive health and sexuality. Major international HIV and other health and development agreements have historically included this language without opposition.

Countries have sought to remove mentions of “harm reduction,” or strategies to reduce negative consequences of drug use. References to “community-led” programming were also opposed during negotiations despite decades of research showing community-led responses improve HIV treatment outcomes.

HIV/AIDS Language Compendium of inter­na­tion­ally agreed terms, con­cepts, def­i­n­i­tions and evi­dence for rights-based responses

By the International Network of People who use Drugs, the Eurasian Harm Reduction Association and Harm Reduction International

In advance of the Global Fund Seventh Replenishment Conference to be hosted by President Biden in New York on September 19, 2022, the International Network of People who use Drugs (INPUD), the Eurasian Harm Reduction Association (EHRA) and Harm Reduction International (HRI) developed key harm reduction messages from implementation of the new Global Fund Strategy and the NFM4 cycle.

Harm reduction investment from international donors and governments in low and middle-income (LMI) countries totalled US$131 million in 2019 - just 5% of the US$2.7 billion UNAIDS estimates is required annually by 2025 for an effective HIV response among people who inject drugs. The Global Fund is the largest donor for harm reduction, providing at least 60% of all international donor support. The outcome of the replenishment will have significant consequences for harm reduction. The protection and scale-up of harm reduction programmes in low- and middle-income countries requires a fully funded Global Fund. An underfunded Global Fund will result in service closures, a reversal of gains made in HIV prevention among people who use drugs and ultimately, lives lost.

They urge the Global Fund and the wider donor community to be proactive in protecting harm reduction within all replenishment scenarios, in implementation of the Global Fund Strategy 2023-2028 and during the NFM4 cycle. The recommendations centre on the following five areas:

Harm reduction funding must be protected from any replenishment shortfall

Catalytic investments for harm reduction and key populations must continue regardless of replenishment outcome

Funding for community-led responses must be prioritised within NFM4, both for harm reduction and pandemic preparedness and responses

Funding for efforts to increase domestic investment in harm reduction, and broader key population programming must be increased

Funding for harm reduction in crisis must be protected and prioritised

Key harm reduction messages for the replenishment conference, implementation of new Global Fund Strategy and NFM4

PUTRAJAYA: The Malaysian government has decided to replace the death penalty with other types of punishment for a number of offences, said the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar on Wednesday (Sep 14).

Dr Wan Junaidi said in a statement that the decision was made after two series of meetings on Sep 6 and Tuesday.

The meetings were held by a task force that he had chaired, referred to as the Substitute Sentences for the Mandatory Death Penalty Task Force Technical Committee.

According to the Bernama news agency, the government has agreed in principle to a proposal to substitute the sentences for 11 offences that carry the mandatory death penalty.

This includes one under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act, as well as 22 other offences that carry a potential death sentence at the court's discretion, said Dr Wan Junaidi.

Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act pertains to drug trafficking.

Dr Wan Junaidi also announced a moratorium for 1,337 inmates who had previously been sentenced to death.

The decision will be submitted to the Cabinet to be tabled at a meeting for approval. The first reading of the Bill is expected on Oct 4 and the second reading is expected on Nov 22.

In June, Dr Wan Junaidi said that the Malaysian government had agreed to abolish the mandatory death penalty, and that it would be replaced by other types of punishment at the court's discretion.

This decision was reached following the presentation of a report on the study of alternative sentences to the mandatory death penalty during a Cabinet meeting on Jun 8.

According to Amnesty International, the death penalty is currently mandatory or a sentencing option for 33 offences in Malaysia.

Crimes punishable by death in the country include murder, drug trafficking, terrorism, kidnapping and the possession of firearms.

Malaysia government to introduce alternatives to death penalty

By Tom McEnchroe / Radio Prague International


Czechia’s National Anti-Drug Coordinator Jindřich Vobořil is preparing a law on the sale and purchasing of marijuana. The legislation should be prepared by the end of this year, he told the Czech News Agency, adding that he hopes it will be passed by January 2024.

The new measures should establish the level of narcotic substances that legal marijuana products can contain. Marijuana growers would need a licence and the law would clearly specify who they could deliver their product to. Some shop owners could also receive a license, Mr Vobořil said. The amount of marijuana that people could purchase would be limited and buyers could be required to register with the state, he said.

Prague is currently hosting a meeting of EU anti-drug coordinators who are discussing how to regulate the union’s cannabis market.

News