• The Research Consortium on Drugs and the Law (CEDD)

    cedd-square-logoThe Research Consortium on Drugs and the Law (Colectivo de Estudios Drogas y Derecho, CEDD) brings together researchers from seven Latin American countries with the goal of analyzing the impact of criminal law and legal practice surrounding illicit drugs. The CEDD seeks to foster a debate about the effectiveness of the current drug policies and recommends policy alternatives that are more balanced and effective.

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  • People deprived of their liberty for drug offenses: The social costs of drug policy

    New studies reveal increase in incarceration for drug offenses in the Americas
    Research Consortium on Drugs and the Law (CEDD)
    November 2015

    discourse-realityThe Research Consortium on Drugs and the Law (Colectivo de Estudios Drogas y Derecho, CEDD) released a series of new studies showing that despite the current debate in Latin America on the need to rethink drug policy, mass incarceration for nonviolent drug offenses has increased across the region. The five thematic reports analyze the gap between discourse and reality, the criminalization of consumption, alternatives to incarceration, women imprisoned for drug offenses, and minors imprisoned for drugs in Latin America.

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  • In Search of Rights

    Drug Users and State Responses in Latin America
    Colectivo de Estudios Drogas y Derecho (CEDD)
    July 9, 2014

    in_search_of_rightsThe Research Consortium on Drugs and the Law (Colectivo de Estudios Drogas y Derecho, CEDD) has published a new study that assesses state responses to illicitly-used drugs in eight countries in Latin America: Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru and Uruguay. The study found that Latin American governments’ approach to drug use continues to be predominantly through the criminal justice system, not health institutions. Even in countries where consumption is not a crime, persistent criminalization of drug users is common.

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  • Addicted to punishment

    Penalties in the war on drugs more severe than for murder and rape
    Rodrigo Uprimny
    Tuesday, April 9, 2013

    prisonerOver the past several decades, Latin America has seen penalties for drug crimes—even low-level selling—skyrocket. And in many Latin American countries, non-violent drug offenses receive significantly longer sentences than many violent crimes, such as homicide and rape. A new study of criminal legislation explores this phenomenon in seven Latin American countries (Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Mexico, Colombia, Bolivia, and Argentina).

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  • Addicted to punishment

    The disproportionality of drug laws in Latin America
    Rodrigo Uprimny Diana Esther Guzmán Jorge Parra Norato
    DeJusticia
    January 2013

    addicted-punishmentIn Latin America, trafficking cocaine so it can be sold to someone who wants to use it is more serious than raping a woman or deliberately killing your neighbor. While it may seem incredible, that is the conclusion of a rigorous study of the evolution of criminal legislation in the region, which shows that countries’ judicial systems mete out harsher penalties for trafficking even modest amounts of drugs than for acts as heinous as sexual assault or murder.

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  • Disproportionate penalties for drug offenses in Mexico

    Study shows that federal resources are dedicated to the investigation, prosecution, and conviction of minor drug-related cases
    Catalina Pérez Correa Kristel Mucino
    Monday, November 12, 2012

    The story of the Mexican drug war has generally focused on the violence perpetrated by drug cartels and the apparent inability to bring so many criminals to justice. Unfortunately—while it’s true many have evaded justice—there remain many more people who use drugs and those with very low levels of involvement in the drug trade, who have been swept up in recent crackdowns.

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