IDPC assesses the state of play in global drug policy, reflecting on areas of progress while highlighting new and ongoing challenges, and concluding with recommendations for the future of international drug policy.
As punitive drug policies regain ground, communities worldwide are mobilising to defend human rights, care and evidence-based responses through the Support. Don’t Punish Global Day of Action 2026.
Public health officials warn that the Trump administration’s budget cuts and staff reductions could derail national progress against the opioid crisis by jeopardizing addiction services, treatment, and lifesaving overdose-prevention programs.
Scotland’s "Stop the Deaths" conference highlighted a critical gap where evidence-based policies like safe consumption rooms and same-day treatment struggle to keep pace with a public health emergency, claiming over 1,000 lives annually.
Amid shrinking global health budgets, the Global Fund secured $11.34 billion—well under its $18 billion goal—to continue the fight against AIDS, TB and malaria.
Polanski argues that legalisation would promote a 'public health' response and reduce drug-related crime, as his party’s support continues to rise across the UK.
This collection examines Europe’s harm reduction journey, including early successes, uneven implementation, securitisation, stigma and medicalisation; and proposes a reframed, people-led approach centring wellbeing, acknowledging drug-use benefits, and advancing rights-based reforms.
IDPC joins civil society worldwide in calling on Canada to reaffirm its leadership in global health by pledging CAD$1.37 billion to the Global Fund, saving millions of lives and strengthening global resilience.
WHO underscores opioid agonist maintenance treatment (OAMT) as an essential, lifesaving health service, providing practical strategies to prevent and manage disruptions, safeguard access to methadone and buprenorphine, and ensure continuity of care during crises and instability.
At UNGA 80, global leaders unite to expose how punitive drug policies harm women’s health and equality and to advance gender-responsive, rights-based reforms that uphold justice and health.
International cooperation through the Association of Southeast Asian Nations presents an opportunity to consistently align regional drug policy with human rights standards.
