The Current State of Drug Policy Debate

Drug control originates from a desire to protect human well-being. The international community, concerned about the impact of drugs on public health, began to prohibit a series of substances and establish measures to eliminate their production, distribution and consumption. The initial phrase of the first UN treaty on drug control, 1961, speaks of a concern for the health and welfare of mankind.

Since then, the illegal drug economy has grown at an exponential rate, achieving a certain market stability around the beginning of the nineteen nineties. The strategy to combat drugs led to a large-scale war, with extreme actions such as military operations against small farmers of illegal plants, chemical fumigation of illegal drug crops, wholesale imprisonment of users and small distributors, and even the death penalty for those who break the law relating to drugs in some countries. The prohibition of illegal drugs places the markets of this lucrative trade in the hands of criminal organizations, and creates enormous illegal funds which stimulate armed conflicts throughout the world.

This document offers an overview of the current trends in the search for possible alternative policies, particularly in the scope of the European Union and the United Nations. It is available below for download in English, Chinese, French, Farsi, Russian, Spanish and Portuguese.

Relevant drug policy publications are almost nonexistent in languages other than English. With the help of leading experts, the Global Drug Policy Program is publishing key documents in translation.

Need help downloading a file or playing a clip? Click here.