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Latin American leaders bring drug policy debate to the United Nations
Coletta Youngers Heather HaaseMonday, September 30, 2013
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At the annual UN General Assembly meeting held in New York, presidents from around the world have the chance to state their views on the key international issues of the day. Not surprisingly, the crisis in Syria, Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons and the Millennium Development Goals took center stage this year. Yet a careful viewing of the speeches of the Latin American presidents illustrates the growing voice of Latin American leaders calling for meaningful reform of drug control policies. -
Towards an International Drug Peace: A Perspective from Mexico
Jorge Hernández TinajeroSmell the Truth (US)
Friday, 13 September, 2013
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Jorge Hernández Tinajero, president of Mexico City’s Collective for a Holistic Policy Towards Drugs (CUPIHD), shares an international perspective on the historic Senate hearings this week on marijuana law reform in this guest post. -
Uruguay moves one step closer to becoming first country to legally regulate marijuana
Hannah Hetzer, Drug Policy AllianceInternational Drug Policy Connsortium IDPC (UK)
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
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On Wednesday 31st July 2013, the Uruguayan House of Representatives approved a marijuana regulation bill, bringing it one step closer to becoming the first country in the world to legally regulate the production, distribution and sale of marijuana. President José Mujica of the Frente Amplio (Broad Front) first proposed marijuana regulation last June as part of a 15-measure package aimed at fighting crime and public insecurity. -
The first forum of growers of crops declared illicit in Southeast Asia
Gloria Lai, IDPC Senior Policy Officer
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In July 2013, the Transnational Institute (TNI) in cooperation with Paung Ku (a consortium aimed at strengthening civil society in Myanmar) held the first Southeast Asia forum of growers of crops declared illicit in Yangon, Myanmar. As a senior policy officer for the International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC), based in Bangkok and working primarily on drug issues in Asia, I took part to find out more about the situation faced by opium growers in the region. In the movement in support of drug policies more grounded in health and human rights, a lot of attention has been (justifiably) paid to establishing harm reduction approaches for people who use drugs. -
Latin American leaders chart course for drug policy debate
Coletta YoungersInternational Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC)
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
This year’s annual General Assembly meeting of the Organization of American States (OAS), which brings together the hemisphere’s foreign ministers, marked a milestone in the Latin American drug policy debate. For the first time, the drug policy issue was the primary theme of a hemispheric meeting and, in a closed-door meeting of the foreign ministers, a process was laid out for continuing the discussion, culminating in a Special Session of the General Assembly to be held in 2014.Latin American leaders chart course for drug policy debate
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Deficiencies in financial oversight enable money laundering
After nearly 25 year of failed efforts, experts still ponder how to implement an anti-money laundering regime that works
Tom BlickmanWednesday, May 15, 2013
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In July 1989, the leaders of the economic powers assembled at the G7 Paris summit decided to establish a Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to counter money laundering as an effective strategy against drug trafficking by criminal ‘cartels’. However, since the inception of the international anti-money laundering (AML) regime there is a growing awareness that the regime is not working as well as intended. -
Cannabis to substitute crack
A step by step rehabilitation
Tom Blickman Amira ArmentaMonday, April 22, 2013
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The mayor of Bogota has recently proposed a pilot scheme with crack cocaine addicts to explore the substitution of crack made of cocaine base paste (or bazuco as it is called in Colombia) by marijuana. The substitution treatment plan will include 15 problematic users from the marginalized Bronx area who are already receiving health assistance of the CAMAD operating in that sector of the city. The treatment will last approximately eight months, after which the results will be evaluated. -
Drug policy must return to focus on public health, SPP panelists say
School of Public Policy (Central European University)
Budapest, April 11, 2013
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Global drug policy must move away from stigmatizing and criminalizing users and focus on the public health issues at stake, panelists concluded at the third drug policy debate hosted by CEU’s School of Public Policy and the Open Society Foundations’ Global Drug Policy Program on April 11. Panelists expressed hope that the current momentum in this direction will result in significant changes at the United Nations drug policy summit slated for 2016. -
Addicted to punishment
Penalties in the war on drugs more severe than for murder and rape
Rodrigo UprimnyTuesday, April 9, 2013
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Over 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). -
The present continuous of cannabis clubs in Catalonia
The complexity of the issue and the lack of specific regulations mean that cases unprotected by the law still keep appearing
Sustainable Drug Policies CommissionSaturday, 30 March, 2013
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The exponential proliferation of the number of associations, clubs and other groups that distribute cannabis among their members and create new spaces for socialising, has surprised even the most optimistic advocates of more reasonable drug policies. In a short time, and in spite of those in government, civil society has provided a response to a problem that realpolitik has been unable to tackle.
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