Major rights groups: Decriminalize use of all illicit drugs
8 years, 5 months ago

Major rights groups: Decriminalize use of all illicit drugs

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — As Americans debate the expanding campaign to legalize marijuana, two of the nation’s most prominent human rights organizations are urging a far bolder step — the decriminalization of possession and personal use of all illicit drugs. Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union jointly issued the call Wednesday in a detailed report contending that enforcement of drug laws has unjustifiably ruined lives, torn families apart and fueled racial discrimination while failing to curtail rampant drug abuse in the U.S. “Every 25 seconds someone is funneled into the criminal justice system, accused of nothing more than possessing drugs for personal use,” said Tess Borden, the report’s author. However, Michael Ramos, district attorney of San Bernardino County in California, said decriminalization would pose “huge dangers.” He predicted that property crime would increase as drug users carried out thefts to maintain their habits. “There’s not much help there.” In compiling their report, Human Rights Watch and the ACLU said they interviewed 149 people prosecuted for using drugs in Louisiana, Texas, Florida and New York, 64 of them in custody. “We don’t have a consensus,” said Belenko, though he suggested that an increasing number of Americans were questioning the efficacy of a punitive approach to drug abuse.

Drugs Drug Abuse State Report Louisiana Ladd Drug Use Illicit Drugs Personal Use Drug Possession Treatment Programs Drug Abusers  decriminalize  drugs  treatment  doing  programs  illicit  groups  likely  drug  possession  major  decriminalization  report  rights  state

History of this topic

Letters to The Editor — March 20, 2025
5 days, 16 hours ago

Letters to The Editor — March 20, 2025

The Hindu  

Destruction again The Israeli strikes across Gaza only evokes grief and horror. Deepthika Muraharirao, Hyderabad Kerala and drug abuse While the rise in drug abuse in Kerala is cause for concern, the analysis, “Kerala’s drug menace is widespread and escalating”, presents a misleading picture by relying solely on the number of cases registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances …

Drug laws are failing us: Three in four police say possession policies are ineffective in preventing crime and deaths
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Drug laws are failing us: Three in four police say possession policies are ineffective in preventing crime and deaths

Daily Mail  

Three-quarters of police say that drug laws are failing to stem a rising tide of crime and a spiralling death toll, a powerful report has found. Polling by the Centre for Social Justice found that 74 per cent of police think current drug possession policies are ineffective, and two-thirds say cannabis has effectively been decriminalised. Legalising cannabis in the UK …

Brazil’s Supreme Court decriminalizes possession of marijuana for personal use
9 months ago

Brazil’s Supreme Court decriminalizes possession of marijuana for personal use

LA Times  

Brazil’s Supreme Court on Tuesday voted to decriminalize possession of marijuana for personal use, making the nation one of Latin America’s last to do so, in a move that could reduce its massive prison population. In 2006, Brazil’s Congress approved a law that sought to punish individuals caught carrying small amounts of drugs, including marijuana, with alternative penalties such as …

Abandoning drug decriminalization is a mistake — the drugs were never the point
9 months, 2 weeks ago

Abandoning drug decriminalization is a mistake — the drugs were never the point

Salon  

Attempts to roll back drug prohibition in North America are being met with fierce opposition and even repeal in some cases, delivering severe blows to progressive groups arguing that drug use should not be a crime. “Yeah, sure,” you might say, “except everyone knows where to find their nearest bar, but not everyone knows the kind of lowlife that’ll sell …

Biden administration proposes to reclassify marijuana as low risk drug
10 months, 1 week ago

Biden administration proposes to reclassify marijuana as low risk drug

Firstpost  

Marijuana has been classified since 1970 as a so-called Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act – the same level as heroin, ecstasy and LSD. That classification means it is deemed to have no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse US President Joe Biden’s administration formally proposed on Thursday reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug, …

Joe Biden says ‘No one should be in jail merely for using marijuana’ as US proposes reclassifying the drug as low-risk
10 months, 1 week ago

Joe Biden says ‘No one should be in jail merely for using marijuana’ as US proposes reclassifying the drug as low-risk

Hindustan Times  

US President Joe Biden's administration formally proposed on Thursday reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug, a historic shift that would bring federal policy more in line with public opinion. Biden administration moves to reclassify marijuana as less dangerous drug The proposal to reclassify cannabis was unveiled by the Biden administration at the end of April and the Justice Department …

Opinion: The real reason why Oregon recriminalizing drugs is a cautionary tale
10 months, 1 week ago

Opinion: The real reason why Oregon recriminalizing drugs is a cautionary tale

LA Times  

A woman enters the Great Circle drug treatment center in Salem, Ore., in 2022, two years after Oregonians voted to decriminalize drugs and dedicate hundreds of millions of dollars to treatment. But increasing homelessness and visible drug use have spurred panic over drugs, which overruled statistics and scientific recommendations — and offers a cautionary tale about the fight for sensible …

U.S. drug control agency will move to reclassify marijuana in a historic shift
10 months, 3 weeks ago

U.S. drug control agency will move to reclassify marijuana in a historic shift

LA Times  

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s proposal would recognize the medical uses of cannabis and acknowledge it has less potential for abuse than other drugs. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will move to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, a historic shift to generations of American drug policy that could have wide ripple effects across the country. “Right now, the …

Why are some countries decriminalising drugs?
11 months, 2 weeks ago

Why are some countries decriminalising drugs?

Al Jazeera  

Some say drug use should be a public health issue, not a criminal one. Nuno Capaz, the Portuguese Ministry of Health official who runs the Commission for the Dissuasion of Drug Addiction, said being caught with illicit drugs meant for personal use should be treated “exactly the same as being caught driving without the seat belt, for example, or talking …

Oregon may revive penalties for drug possession. What will the change do?
1 year ago

Oregon may revive penalties for drug possession. What will the change do?

Associated Press  

Oregon is poised to step back from its first-in-the-nation drug decriminalization law with a new measure approved by the state Senate that would reinstate criminal penalties for possessing small amounts of some drugs. Here’s a look at how it could change the way drug possession is handled by law enforcement and prosecutors in the state: WHICH DRUGS WILL BE ILLEGAL …

With Oregon facing rampant public drug use, lawmakers backpedal on pioneering decriminalization law
1 year, 2 months ago

With Oregon facing rampant public drug use, lawmakers backpedal on pioneering decriminalization law

Associated Press  

SALEM, Ore. — Democratic lawmakers in Oregon on Tuesday unveiled a sweeping new bill that would undo a key part of the state’s first-in-the-nation drug decriminalization law, a recognition that public opinion has soured on the measure amid rampant public drug use during the fentanyl crisis. Measure 110 directed the state’s cannabis tax revenue toward drug addiction treatment while decriminalizing …

Oregon’s first-in-the-nation drug decriminalization law faces growing resistance
1 year, 4 months ago

Oregon’s first-in-the-nation drug decriminalization law faces growing resistance

LA Times  

Oregon’s first-in-the-nation law that decriminalized the possession of small amounts of heroin, cocaine and other illicit drugs in favor of an emphasis on addiction treatment is facing strong headwinds in the progressive state after an explosion of public drug use fueled by the proliferation of fentanyl and a surge in deaths from opioids, including those of children. “The inability for …

Oregon’s first-in-the-nation drug decriminalization law is facing pushback amid the fentanyl crisis
1 year, 4 months ago

Oregon’s first-in-the-nation drug decriminalization law is facing pushback amid the fentanyl crisis

Associated Press  

PORTLAND, Ore. — Oregon’s first-in-the-nation law that decriminalized the possession of small amounts of heroin, cocaine and other illicit drugs in favor of an emphasis on addiction treatment is facing strong headwinds in the progressive state after an explosion of public drug use fueled by the proliferation of fentanyl and a surge in deaths from opioids, including those of children. …

Don’t blame drug decriminalization for what the housing crisis has caused
1 year, 7 months ago

Don’t blame drug decriminalization for what the housing crisis has caused

Salon  

National media outlets have trained their sights on Portland, Oregon, releasing hit piece after piece. The mischaracterizations begin before the article does, starting out with the assertion the primary goal was to curb overdoses, reaching a fever pitch by the final clause, "and life has changed for most everyone…" Jan Hoffman's New York Times piece profiles Jennifer Myrle, a worker …

Powerful illegal drugs are inundating Europe and sending corruption and violence soaring, EU says
1 year, 9 months ago

Powerful illegal drugs are inundating Europe and sending corruption and violence soaring, EU says

Associated Press  

BRUSSELS — New harmful illicit drugs are inundating a flourishing market for traffickers amid violence and corruption hurting local communities across Europe, the EU’s agency monitoring drugs and addiction said Friday. Cocaine seizures are “historically high” and new synthetic drugs whose effects on health are not well documented are worrying officials. “I summarize this with the phrase: ‘everywhere, everything, everyone,’” …

Washington lawmakers reach deal on drug policy, avoid automatic decriminalization
1 year, 10 months ago

Washington lawmakers reach deal on drug policy, avoid automatic decriminalization

Associated Press  

SEATTLE — Democratic and Republican leaders in the Washington Statehouse reached a tentative deal on a major new drug policy Monday, one that would avoid making the state the second to decriminalize the possession of controlled substances. Rep. Roger Goodman, D-Kirkland, called it “a fair compromise that addresses urgent concerns about public disorder but follows evidence-based practices in helping people …

Canada Moves to Decriminalize Possession of ‘Hard’ Drugs
2 years, 9 months ago

Canada Moves to Decriminalize Possession of ‘Hard’ Drugs

Wired  

On Tuesday, May 31, the Canadian government made a ruling that was the first of its kind for the country. “This is long overdue,” says Daniel Werb, director of the Center on Drug Policy Evaluation at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. “The record is clear that the global war on drugs has been a total catastrophic policy failure,” says Ben …

Advocates say ACT plan to decriminalise illicit drugs will help community but deep concerns remain
4 years, 1 month ago

Advocates say ACT plan to decriminalise illicit drugs will help community but deep concerns remain

ABC  

Chris Gough lived in the grip of heroin dependence for close to a decade. "The police would point me towards a health service — and I can tell you I badly needed to be pointed towards a health service at that time," he said. "It works, and increasingly it's been seen to work … if you approach it as a …

Oregon 1st state to decriminalize possession of hard drugs
4 years, 1 month ago

Oregon 1st state to decriminalize possession of hard drugs

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Backers of the ballot measure decriminalizing hard drugs, which …

Oregon leads the way in decriminalizing hard drugs
4 years, 4 months ago

Oregon leads the way in decriminalizing hard drugs

Associated Press  

SALEM, Ore. — In a first in the nation, Oregon has rejected charging drug users with criminal offenses, with voters passing a ballot measure that decriminalizes possession of heroin, methamphetamine, LSD, oxycodone and other hard drugs. “Today’s victory is a landmark declaration that the time has come to stop criminalizing people for drug use,” said Kassandra Frederique, executive director of …

‘Societal discussion' on drugs decriminalisation needed amid surge in opioid deaths, Canada's health chief says
4 years, 7 months ago

‘Societal discussion' on drugs decriminalisation needed amid surge in opioid deaths, Canada's health chief says

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Canada’s chief health officer …

A new ‘war on drugs’ is short sighted and naive
5 years, 6 months ago

A new ‘war on drugs’ is short sighted and naive

Dutch News  

When the Dutch government liberalised cannabis policy in 1976, they understood that the legalisation and regulation of cannabis was actually the best solution, or at least the least bad one. According to the United Nations World Drug Report, there have never been so many cannabis, cocaine, heroin and synthetic drugs on the market for such low prices or of higher …

A new ‘war on drugs’ is short sighted and naive
5 years, 6 months ago

A new ‘war on drugs’ is short sighted and naive

Dutch News  

When the Dutch government liberalised cannabis policy in 1976, they understood that the legalisation and regulation of cannabis was actually the best solution, or at least the least bad one. According to the United Nations World Drug Report, there have never been so many cannabis, cocaine, heroin and synthetic drugs on the market for such low prices or of higher …

Drug addiction: A different approach
6 years, 5 months ago

Drug addiction: A different approach

The Hindu  

THE debate on the pitfalls of incarcerating drug addicts is an old one, and a recent study has made a strong pitch for the decriminalisation of drug use. The study “From Addict to Convict: The Working of the NDPS Act in Punjab”, done by the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, advocates the removal of criminal penalties for drug use and …

Cannabis criminalization today worse than 1930s "reefer madness"
7 years, 1 month ago

Cannabis criminalization today worse than 1930s "reefer madness"

Salon  

In the 1930s, parents across the U.S. were panicked. Ansligner’s campaign demonized marijuana as a dangerous drug, playing on the racist attitudes of white Americans in the early 20th century and stoking fears of marijuana as an “assassin of youth.” Over the decades, there’s been a general trend toward greater social acceptance of marijuana by a more educated society, seeing …

Norway’s Parliament Votes To Decriminalize All Drug Use
7 years, 3 months ago

Norway’s Parliament Votes To Decriminalize All Drug Use

Huff Post  

The Norwegian Parliament, also known as the Storting, has started the process to decriminalize drug use and emphasize treatment options. Fredrik Bjerknes/Bloomberg via Getty Images Norway’s Parliament is set to decriminalize illicit drugs and divert people found with small quantities into treatment options rather than pursuing criminal prosecution. Instead of fining or jailing drug users found with small quantities of …

War on Drugs: Portugal may be winning the battle against drug abuse through decriminalisation
7 years, 5 months ago

War on Drugs: Portugal may be winning the battle against drug abuse through decriminalisation

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “You’re not taking too much?” Lopes monitors Portuguese heroin …

Last year there were more arrests for marijuana than for violent crime
7 years, 5 months ago

Last year there were more arrests for marijuana than for violent crime

Salon  

Despite spreading marijuana legalization and a growing desire for new directions in drug policy, the war on drugs continues unabated. According to the FBI's latest Uniform Crime Report, released Monday, overall drug arrests actually increased last year to 1.57 million, a jump of 5.63 percent over 2015. Unlike previous years, this year's Uniform Crime Report did not immediately make available …

We are a long way from an informed debate on drugs
7 years, 7 months ago

We are a long way from an informed debate on drugs

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. According to the Office for National …

The first serious federal weed legalization bill ever just hit Congress
7 years, 7 months ago

The first serious federal weed legalization bill ever just hit Congress

Salon  

On Wednesday, a bill in Congress will be introduced to legalize marijuana on the national level — ending the decades long prohibition. The Marijuana Justice Act proposed by Sen. Cory Booker D-N.J. aims to, "retroactively expunge people who have been convicted of use and possession of marijuana," " incentive for states to change their laws, which will stop them from …

United Nations and World Health Organisation call for drugs to be decriminalised
7 years, 8 months ago

United Nations and World Health Organisation call for drugs to be decriminalised

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The United Nations and World Health Organisation have issued a call …

In Portugal, Drug Use Is Treated As A Medical Issue, Not A Crime
7 years, 11 months ago

In Portugal, Drug Use Is Treated As A Medical Issue, Not A Crime

NPR  

In Portugal, Drug Use Is Treated As A Medical Issue, Not A Crime Gandelina Damião, 78, is permanently hunched, carrying her sorrow. So people came home from war with some habits," says João Goulão, Portugal's drug czar. It was one of the worst drug epidemics in the world, and it prompted Portugal's government to take a novel approach: It decriminalized …

Trends 2017: The Drug War Is Over—It's Time to Start a Different One
8 years, 2 months ago

Trends 2017: The Drug War Is Over—It's Time to Start a Different One

Wired  

Criminalizing drugs is as American as doing them. “Opioid addiction is more relatable than the past perception of heroin junkies lying in the street,” says Katharine Neill, a drug policy expert at Rice University. Eight states voted to legalize weed in some form in the last election, bringing the total to 29, and researchers are studying the drug’s medicinal applications …

World leaders call for legalisation of drugs
8 years, 4 months ago

World leaders call for legalisation of drugs

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “After years of denouncing the dramatic effects of prohibition …

Portugal: Fifteen years of decriminalised drug policy
8 years, 4 months ago

Portugal: Fifteen years of decriminalised drug policy

Al Jazeera  

Lisbon, Portugal – Under a flyover of concrete, alongside a road full of afternoon commuters, a group of people flock around a van. According to Dr Joao Goulao, head of SICAD, the drug intervention branch of the Portugal’s health ministry, in 1999 a staggering one percent of the population was addicted to heroin – one in every 100 people, whereas, …

All 'illegal' drugs should be decriminalised, experts say
8 years, 9 months ago

All 'illegal' drugs should be decriminalised, experts say

Wired  

Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images Two leading public health organisations have called for the personal possession of "all illegal drugs" to be decriminalised. The Royal Society for Public Health and the Faculty of Public Health say that the call "forms part of a wider package of measures aimed at moving UK drugs strategy away from a predominantly criminal justice approach towards one …

Health experts call for illegal drug use and possession to be decriminalised
8 years, 9 months ago

Health experts call for illegal drug use and possession to be decriminalised

The Independent  

Sign up to our free Living Well email for advice on living a happier, healthier and longer life Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. …

DEA considers dropping marijuana from most dangerous drugs list by July
8 years, 11 months ago

DEA considers dropping marijuana from most dangerous drugs list by July

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The Drug Enforcement Administration …

Public health experts: Decriminalize minor drug offenses
9 years ago

Public health experts: Decriminalize minor drug offenses

CNN  

Story highlights High incarceration rates and aggressive policing have increased risk of HIV, HCV and opioid overdose, report concludes Experts recommend many drug policy changes, including decriminalizing minor drug offenses Needle exchange programs and opioid substitution therapies are effective, but need to be scaled up CNN — Overdose deaths from prescription opioids such as OxyContin have quadrupled in the United …

Ireland to 'decriminalise' small amounts of drugs, including heroin, cocaine and cannabis, for personal use
9 years, 4 months ago

Ireland to 'decriminalise' small amounts of drugs, including heroin, cocaine and cannabis, for personal use

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Ireland will move towards decriminalising …

UN 'shelves report calling for decriminalisation of all drugs after pressure from one government'
9 years, 5 months ago

UN 'shelves report calling for decriminalisation of all drugs after pressure from one government'

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy United Nations officials have called …

Twilight of the War on Drugs: Why America might finally accept full decriminalization — and why David Simon worries it won't
9 years, 6 months ago

Twilight of the War on Drugs: Why America might finally accept full decriminalization — and why David Simon worries it won't

Salon  

Every so often, a fringe political movement wins mainstream acceptance so quickly that its codification in law — once at hand — feels both obviously correct and long overdue. And serious reforms of our drug policies — the kind that looks beyond marijuana and to harder drugs — are still met with what the poet William Blake called the “mind-forged …

Portugal decriminalised drugs 14 years ago – and now hardly anyone dies from overdosing
9 years, 9 months ago

Portugal decriminalised drugs 14 years ago – and now hardly anyone dies from overdosing

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. This is arguably a positive development for public health …

Wrong-footing the drug cartels
11 years, 2 months ago

Wrong-footing the drug cartels

The Hindu  

Uruguay has become the first country to legalise cannabis, taking this most radical step instead of engaging in the so-called war on drugs. The psychoactive element in cannabis, tetrahydrocannabinol, will be at a low concentration of 5-12 per cent, and regulation will improve purity; in illegal markets, contamination often turns cannabis into a gateway drug to more dangerous substances. Uruguay’s …

Is it time to end the global war on drugs?
11 years, 4 months ago

Is it time to end the global war on drugs?

Al Jazeera  

We ask if decriminalisation can help reduce drug abuse and organised crime. The drugs industry is a multi-billion dollar one, driven by violent criminal gangs which has killed hundreds of thousands of people around the world, but is the so-called war on drugs working? “We also appealed for countries to carefully test models of legal regulation as a means to …

Decriminalising drugs in the Western hemisphere
13 years ago

Decriminalising drugs in the Western hemisphere

Al Jazeera  

Scranton, PA – United States Vice President Joseph Biden recently travelled to Mexico and Honduras in the midst of growing frustration with the US war on drugs. While Biden’s Central America visit was initially designed to discuss regional security more broadly, debate mainly revolved around Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina’s suggestion that the region consider decriminalising the use and transportation …

Discover Related