Decriminalisation, legal regulation & reform

Decriminalisation

Events

A beginner’s guide to the decriminalisation of drug use in South Africa - Wise Wednesday series

Online

17 June 2026

This Wise Wednesday webinar covers what the decriminalisation of drugs for personal use could look like in South Africa, and how it can advance health and human rights.

Publications13 May 2026

Women, drug policy and the death penalty - Submission to OHCHR for report on the impact of drug policies on women and girls

HRI, ESOHR, KHRC and WHRIN call for the abolition of the death penalty for drug offences, highlighting its disproportionate impact on women and girls .

News13 May 2026

The cost of punitive drug legislation

The Lancet underscores how punitive drug laws continue to fuel HIV risk, stigma and exclusion for people who use drugs, despite growing calls for reform.

Publications12 March 2026

Decriminalization of drug use in the context of HIV: A guidance note

UNAIDS, UNDP and INPUD synthesise models to support rights-based HIV responses, offer key principles, good practices, and expert insights from people who use drugs and specialists.

Publications16 February 2026

Confiscations, public health obstructions, and perpetual displacement: Experiences and perspectives on urban law enforcement practices during a period of 'recriminalization' among people who use criminalized drugs

Singh Kelsall et al. find that harmful policing practices persisted during British Columbia’s decriminalisation pilot and subsequent recriminalisation, including confiscations, displacement and interference with overdose response.

Events

CND 69 and drug policy reform: Unpacking key implications

Online

31 March 2026

This webinar reflects on key developments from this year’s CND session and their implications for the future of global drug policy reform.

News12 February 2026

South Africa: Crime, cartels and corruption — The drug policy debate we refuse to have

Punitive drug laws are fuelling corruption, strengthening illicit markets and misdirecting police resources, while failing to improve community safety.

Publications13 December 2025

Drug decriminalization: A co-designed study outlining the implications for providers of youth services

Morgan et al. conclude that effective drug policy in British Columbia should be co-designed and co-facilitated with young people who use drugs and practitioners to better address local needs.

Publications11 December 2025

Policing and access to harm reduction services among young people who use drugs and young Indigenous people who use drugs before and after the pilot implementation of decriminalization of personal possession

McAdam et al. examine how decriminalisation reduced policing-related barriers to services, revealing important benefits for young people, including Indigenous.

News11 December 2025

Dance for freedom: Rave revolution in front of the Hungarian Parliament

Thousands gathered to protest Hungary's escalating police harassment of musicians, clubs and young people.

News10 December 2025

New EU Drug Strategy risks undermining health, harm reduction and human rights - Joint letter by 84 civil society organisations

We join 83 organisations urging EU Member States to revise the proposed Drug Strategy and reject a trafficking-only Action Plan, to ensure harm reduction, health and human rights remain central to EU drug policy.

Publications1 December 2025

Overcoming disruption, transforming the AIDS response - 2025 World AIDS Day report

UNAIDS examines the threats facing the HIV response, including funding cuts, rising criminalisation, and growing gender-based violence, urging bold action to safeguard progress and build sustainable, community-led systems of care.

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