50 years ago the United Nations adopted the first international treaty to prohibit some drugs – particularly drugs used by non-Europeans such as cannabis, cocaine and heroin. The logic of the system was simple: any use of the drugs listed, unless sanctioned for medical or scientific purposes, would be deemed ‘abuse’ and thus illegal. As a result of this convention, the unsanctioned production and trafficking of these drugs became a crime in all member states of the UN. It is now clear that punitive drug policies have several unintended consequences: they fuel the global HIV epidemic, undermine public health systems, result in a crisis for criminal justice systems, lead to severe human rights violations and create a massive illicit market worth an estimated annual value of almost 400 billion USD. There is a small group though that benefits from the global war on drugs: organized criminals and terrorists. (Read more about the global drug war!)
A Russian Heroin Trader Thanks the UN for 50 Years of Prohibition
Mexican Drug Lord Thanks the UN for 50 Years of Prohibition
Girlfriend of a Drug Kingpin thanks the UN for 50 years of prohibition
These video messages are not real - but the harms of this system are real! Join us on Facebook!
The HCLU initiatied this public advocacy campaign to raise awareness on the costs of the global drug war - the costs we pay not only in money but in human lives and human rights. We join the call of other like-minded NGOs on the United Nations and the national governments to undertake a transparent review of the effectiveness of current drug policies.
Posted by Peter Sarosi
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