The war on drugs causes massive human rights violations
In November, the journal argued that prohibition laws have failed and called on doctors to lead the debate on alternative rational policies that promote health and respect dignity. This week, key players in this debate discuss the harms of prohibition and criminalization and outline their reasons for drug policy reform. In the first article, Dainius Puras, UN special rapporteur on the right to health, and Julie Hannah co-director of the International Centre on Human Rights and Drug Policy at the University of Essex, say harsh enforcement of prohibition undermines the right to health and fundamental dignity. They argue that mass incarceration has overburdened criminal justice systems and left countless people languishing in deplorable facilities in inhumane conditions around the world. While outside the criminal justice system, compulsory detention centres hold people identified as drug users without due process. Yet they point out that, despite the devastating health and hum...