Drug use: how can policies reduce the harms of both consumption and criminalisation?

Abstract

A former UN high commissioner for human rights tells The BMJ that the war on drugs has “completely failed” and that a public health focused approach is needed “The criminalisation of drugs doesn’t break dependence, but it deters people from seeking help,” says Louise Arbour. “It’s a completely self-defeating public policy.” Arbour, a former United Nations high commissioner for human rights, is a member of the Global Commission on Drug Policy—an independent panel of world leaders and political, economic, and cultural experts who advocate for drug policies grounded in scientific evidence and human rights. Their report, published this week, finds that over 40% of the world’s known executions in 2023 were for drug offences.1 The commission says that the prohibition focused approach that’s been a hallmark of the “war on drugs” for the past 50 years has failed to curtail the production and consumption of drugs such as cannabis, opiates, and heroin. Meanwhile, illegal drug markets controlled by organised crime have grown dramatically.2 An estimated nine in 10 people who use illegal drugs don’t experience dependence. The commission urges governments to tackle the underlying issues that may trigger drug use and dependence, such as trauma, homelessness, and self-medication, …