Compulsory rehabilitation centres for people who use drugs constitute a grave violation of human rights, and must be replaced by voluntary, community-based treatment that provides evidence-informed and human-rights based services.
Roughly 26 million people around the world who are suffering from severe pain do not have access to painkillers, therefore the 'pain gap' between rich and poor countries must be alleviated.
Civil society looks to the Council for leadership in encouraging and welcoming initiatives from within the UN human rights system to ensure drug policy affirms, rather than undermine, human rights.
The Deputy High Commissioner urges that instead of the war on drugs, states should adopt drug policies anchored in evidence, human rights approaches and public health and vows to stand ready to support states, civil society and other stakeholders in this endeavour.
IDPC joins EuroNPUD and dozens of supporters in repudiating recent comments by the EU Home Affairs Commissioner regarding people who use drugs, which do not reflect the growing international consensus on these matters but also stand in tension with the EU's Drug Strategy.
