Read Full Article
WHO Webinar on OAMT Features Commissioner Michel Kazatchkine
17 December 2025 – Online, Global Photo credit: Brendan Kahn, Global Commission on Drug Policy Commissioner Michel Kazatchkine participated in a webinar hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO), Médecins du Monde (MdM), and the International Network on Health and [...]Op Ed – Strategic Priorities for EU Drug Policy
December 2025 – Europe Photo credit: European Commission, taken from this article. Global Commission Chair Helen Clark and Global Commissioner and Eastern and Central European and Central Asian Commission on Drug Policy (ECECACD) Chair Aleksander Kwaśniewski co-authored a joint op-ed [...] December 2025 Newsletter
Highlights from the Global Commission
Peter Mudiope, Nicholas Nanyeenya, Simon Okrut, et al. – 24 October 2025
“Trust and Suspicion”: Client and Provider Perspectives on the Acceptability of Medication for Opioid Use Disorder Among People Who Inject Drugs in Kampala, Uganda
This study examines perspectives on medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) among people who inject drugs and service providers in Kampala (Uganda). Findings indicate broad acceptance of MOUD due to its health and social benefits, but persistent barriers – including stigma, fear of arrest, limited clinic access, and restrictive enrollment rules – impede uptake. The study recommends flexible service models, community engagement, and coordination with health, traditional, and law enforcement actors to improve access and continuity.
Jonas von Hoffmann – November 2025
Left Politics and Liberal Drug Policies in Latin America: Elective Affinity or Strange Bedfellows?
This study analyzes the relationship between political ideology and drug policy in Latin America, comparing government orientation, electoral platforms, and policy reforms over time. Findings show that while progressive governments are not consistently associated with liberal drug policies, most reforms of this kind have occurred under left-leaning administrations. The study highlights the need for further research into how political orientation and party dynamics influence the adoption and scope of progressive drug policy reforms.
Irena Molnar et al. (Correlation – European Harm Reduction Network) – 25 November 2025
Beyond the Numbers: Harm Reduction Across South-Eastern Europe
Harm reduction in Southeast Europe (SEE) stands at a crossroads — sustained by community resilience rather than political will. The Beyond Numbers report by Irena Molnar et al. highlights deep regional disparities: while Slovenia and Greece maintain nationwide OAT and testing, Croatia is making progress toward establishing drug checking services, and Bulgaria’s “Pink House” continues as a model of community resilience. At the same time, North Macedonia and Serbia are facing the closure of NSP services, following earlier shutdowns in Bosnia and Herzegovina — leaving large parts of the region without basic coverage. No country provides needle exchange in prisons, and access to HCV care remains limited and conditional. Despite these setbacks, harm reduction organisations persist through innovation and solidarity. The report calls for renewed investment, policy integration, and recognition of harm reduction as essential healthcare across Southeast Europe.
Fiji Ministry of Health and Medical Services, World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), et al. – 9 December 2025
This is the Health Crisis of Our Time: A Rapid Assessment of Injection Drug Use and HIV in Suva, Fiji
This rapid assessment examines injecting drug use and HIV in Suva amid Fiji’s rapidly growing HIV epidemic. National data show disproportionate impacts on young people, iTaukei communities, and males, with injecting drug use reported as a primary exposure for many newly diagnosed cases. Findings highlight widespread syringe sharing, unsafe injecting practices, limited awareness of blood-borne infections, and significant barriers to services. Despite supportive policy frameworks, needle and syringe programs were not yet operational, underscoring the need for urgent harm reduction scale-up.
Nur Adila, & Adhi Munajar – 14 December 2025
Kebijakan War on Drugs dan Implikasinya terhadap Kejahatan Terorganisir Transnasional serta Ketahanan Negara di Amerika Selatan (The War on Drugs Policies and Their Implications for Transnational Organized Crime and State Resilience in South America)
This study examines the implementation of the global “War on Drugs” and its effects on transnational organized crime and state resilience, with a focus on South America. Based on a thematic review of academic and international sources, including UN data, it finds that predominantly repressive approaches contribute to criminal fragmentation, increased violence, and diversification of illicit activities. The analysis highlights constraints on state capacity, corruption risks, and declining public legitimacy, underscoring the need for integrated policy approaches.
Following the launch earlier this year of the WHO guideline on balanced national controlled medicines policies to ensure medical access and safety, the WHO and BMJ Global Health have opened a call for papers for a dedicated topic collection, Access without excess: how to ensure safe, balanced access to controlled medicines around the world.
The collection aims to address persistent global inequities in the availability of opioid analgesics and other controlled medicines, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), and to highlight evidence-informed approaches to ensuring safe, equitable, and sustainable access. Review articles and original research are invited.
Submission deadline: 22 March 2026
Exame Toxicológico na ONU – ABTOX e Fernando Henrique Cardoso
(Toxicological Testing at the UN – ABTOX and Fernando Henrique Cardoso)
ABTOX via Youtube, 15 December 2025
Harm Reduction Voices:
Podcasts From HR25
Harm Reduction International and Vital Strategies collaborated to produce a dedicated on-site podcast studio at the Harm Reduction International Conference 2025 (HR25), held earlier this year in Bogotá, Colombia. The studio provided a platform for digital creators, practitioners, and advocates to capture and share perspectives from across the global harm reduction community.
The Global Commission on Drug Policy participated in HR25 through multiple sessions and engagements, contributing to discussions on evidence-based, health-centered approaches to drug policy.
The resulting podcast series features conversations recorded during the conference, available in both English and Spanish. Explore the episodes to hear reflections from speakers, partners, and community leaders working to advance harm reduction worldwide.
Listen to Harm Reduction Voices: Podcasts From HR25 on the Harm Reduction International website.
79th Session of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR)
Human Rights Council (HRC) – 61st Regular Session
Zero Discrimination Day (UNAIDS)
19th Annual ISSDP Conference 2026
Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) 100th Regular Session
Hybrid Roundtable Consultation on Addressing Racial and Intersecting Forms of Discrimination Against People of African Descent in Relation to Drug Policy
LEAP Conferentie: Hoe maken we de drugsketen compliant? (LEAP Conference: How do we make the drug supply chain compliant?)
“Trust and Suspicion”: Client and Provider Perspectives on the Acceptability of Medication for Opioid Use Disorder Among People Who Inject Drugs in Kampala, Uganda
Peter Mudiope, Nicholas Nanyeenya, Simon Okrut, et al. – 24 October 2025
“Trust and Suspicion”: Client and Provider Perspectives on the Acceptability of Medication for Opioid Use Disorder Among People Who Inject Drugs in Kampala, Uganda
This study examines perspectives on medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) among people who inject drugs and service providers in Kampala (Uganda). Findings indicate broad acceptance of MOUD due to its health and social benefits, but persistent barriers – including stigma, fear of arrest, limited clinic access, and restrictive enrollment rules – impede uptake. The study recommends flexible service models, community engagement, and coordination with health, traditional, and law enforcement actors to improve access and continuity.
Left Politics and Liberal Drug Policies in Latin America: Elective Affinity or Strange Bedfellows?
Jonas von Hoffmann – November 2025
Left Politics and Liberal Drug Policies in Latin America: Elective Affinity or Strange Bedfellows?
This study analyzes the relationship between political ideology and drug policy in Latin America, comparing government orientation, electoral platforms, and policy reforms over time. Findings show that while progressive governments are not consistently associated with liberal drug policies, most reforms of this kind have occurred under left-leaning administrations. The study highlights the need for further research into how political orientation and party dynamics influence the adoption and scope of progressive drug policy reforms.
Beyond the Numbers: Harm Reduction Across South-Eastern Europe
Irena Molnar et al. (Correlation – European Harm Reduction Network) – 25 November 2025
Beyond the Numbers: Harm Reduction Across South-Eastern Europe
Harm reduction in Southeast Europe (SEE) stands at a crossroads — sustained by community resilience rather than political will. The Beyond Numbers report by Irena Molnar et al. highlights deep regional disparities: while Slovenia and Greece maintain nationwide OAT and testing, Croatia is making progress toward establishing drug checking services, and Bulgaria’s “Pink House” continues as a model of community resilience. At the same time, North Macedonia and Serbia are facing the closure of NSP services, following earlier shutdowns in Bosnia and Herzegovina — leaving large parts of the region without basic coverage. No country provides needle exchange in prisons, and access to HCV care remains limited and conditional. Despite these setbacks, harm reduction organisations persist through innovation and solidarity. The report calls for renewed investment, policy integration, and recognition of harm reduction as essential healthcare across Southeast Europe.