Martha Ines Miravete was a stage actress in Buenos Aires. She recalls how, in 1994, a man changed her life by inviting her to participate in a video project in Brazil. She was excited at the opportunity for new work and the chance to travel for the first time. But, she was stopped at the airport, the luggage was searched, and cocaine was found.
She was sentenced to 6 years in prison and considered the architect of the crime. “The legal system is giving me the same sentence as a trafficker,” she remembers thinking. She is still haunted by memories of her imprisonment – the terrible prison conditions and the suffering of her fellow inmates.
Upon her release, Martha Ines Miravete founded a non-profit organization working for the rights of the prison population in Argentina. This video tells her story and the story of her commitment to change prison policies and help prisoners reintegrate into society.

Where strict bans on khat have been introduced they have had severe unintended negative consequences and failed to further the integration, social incusion and economic prosperity of Somali communities in particular, which chew khat most widely.
In 2011 the 1961 UN Single Convention on drugs will be in place for 50 years. In 2012 the international drug control system will exist 100 years since the International Opium Convention was signed in 1912 in The Hague. Does it still serve its purpose or is a reform of the UN Drug Conventions needed? This site provides critical background.
