Fourteen months after the withdrawal of U.S. foreign assistance, this report examines the escalating impact of funding cuts on harm reduction and community-led services worldwide. Based on a global survey, it documents worsening financial instability, widespread service disruptions, and reduced access to HIV, hepatitis C, and overdose prevention. It also highlights how increasingly punitive policy environments are driving people who use drugs further from essential services and calls for urgent, sustained investment in community-led harm reduction.

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The article, with contributions from Global Commission on Drug Policy Commissioner Pavel Bém, analyzes the European Union’s new Drugs Strategy and Action Plan Against Drug Trafficking. It examines the strategy’s development process, stakeholder consultation, and the balance between supply reduction measures and public health approaches. The analysis reviews the positioning of harm reduction, consideration of alternative regulatory models, and the continued emphasis on prohibition and law enforcement within the broader context of evolving drug policy approaches.

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The report examines the international expansion of Mexican criminal groups, including the Sinaloa Cartel and Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación. It describes their involvement in global drug trafficking networks, including cocaine and synthetic drugs, such as methamphetamine, as well as related activities including money laundering and other illicit economies. The report analyzes the groups’ operations in Latin America, Europe, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific region, and discusses implications for public health, security, governance, and international cooperation.

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The report examines the impacts of organized crime policies on women in contact with criminal justice systems in Argentina, Colombia, and Mexico. Drawing on interviews with affected women, it analyzes patterns of involvement in illicit markets, experiences during judicial proceedings and imprisonment, and the effects on families and children. The report highlights gender-related vulnerabilities linked to punitive approaches and examines issues including prison conditions, restrictive regimes, and barriers to alternatives to incarceration.

Read the full report in Spanish

The report examines challenges in the design and implementation of adult-use cannabis markets in the United States. It identifies key issues affecting market performance, including regulatory fragmentation, persistence of illicit markets, business compliance barriers, taxation approaches, and public health protections. The report outlines regulatory principles and policy options across federal, state, and local levels, addressing market structures, product safety, enforcement, consumer protections, equity considerations, and evaluation mechanisms to support evidence-informed cannabis regulation.

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A global reference on drug markets, trends and policy developments, the World Drug Report offers a wealth of data and analysis and, in 2026, comprises several elements tailored to different audiences. The web-based Drug market patterns and trends contains the latest analysis of global, regional and subregional estimates of and trends in drug demand and supply in a user-friendly, interactive format supported by graphs, infographics and maps. Highlights provides a series of short topical analyses of key developments and issues that characterize the current world drug problem, while Special points of interest offers a framework for the main takeaways that can be drawn from those developments. As well as providing a comprehensive overview of global drug trends and key issues, the World Drug Report 2026 features, in its thematic chapter, a focused analysis of the Impact of drug use on safety and security. The World Drug Report 2026 is aimed not only at fostering greater international cooperation to counter the impact of the world drug problem on health, governance and security, but also at assisting Member States in anticipating and addressing threats posed by drug markets and mitigating their consequences.

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A new UN report reviews global progress since the adoption of the 2021 Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS and examines what will be required to keep the goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 within reach. While significant advances have been made, including expanded access to antiretroviral treatment and declining AIDS-related deaths, the report warns that progress is increasingly threatened by funding shortfalls, humanitarian crises, growing inequalities, and setbacks for human rights. It highlights persistent gaps in access to prevention, treatment, and care, and calls for renewed political commitment, sustainable financing, community leadership, and people-centered responses. The report also outlines the role of the new 2026-2031 Global AIDS Strategy in guiding the next phase of the global HIV response.

Read the full report in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.

The latest European Drug Report provides a comprehensive overview of drug use, supply, and related health and social issues across Europe through the end of 2025. It finds that drug availability remains high across all major substance categories, while increasingly diverse and complex markets are creating new challenges for public health and policy responses. Covering cannabis, cocaine, synthetic stimulants, opioids, new psychoactive substances and other drugs, the report also examines injecting drug use, drug-related infectious diseases, overdose deaths, opioid agonist treatment and harm reduction services. Drawing on data from across Europe, it provides an important snapshot of emerging trends and threats shaping the region’s drug landscape.

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Jointly published by the Institute for Journalism and Social Change (IJSC) and Harm Reduction International (HRI), it reveals the scale of international aid funding for the war on drugs. It focuses on such funding in countries that retain the death penalty for drug-related offences, at a time when drug-related executions account for around 46% of all executions confirmed globally. This is the sharpest edge of these controversial financial flows: connecting international taxpayers to executions around the world.

Over the decade from 2015-2024, it tracks a total of about $60 million spent by aid donors on ‘narcotics control’ projects in 14 countries that retain the death penalty – including Iran, one of the leading executors of people for drug related offences.

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The Joint Committee on Drugs Use today published its Final Report, in which Members recommend the repeal of Section 3 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 in order to fully decriminalise the possession of drugs for personal use. In its report, the Committee makes 161 recommendations across family and community supports; kinship care; intergenerational trauma; addiction, sports and wellbeing; young people; substance use and neurodiversity; women, drug use and addiction; the National Drugs Strategy; nitrous oxide and other inhalants; and legal and policy issues. 

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While international drug treaties maintain the state of prohibition, legal regulation of the coca plant in the Andean-Amazonian region continues to develop, and can be strengthened and broadened. The aim of this new report is to explore viable ways to safeguard genetic resources, cultural heritage and Indigenous knowledge of the coca leaf, as well as to protect legal markets for coca from risks of misappropriation, biopiracy and corporate capture.

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This report examines recent changes in federal support for addiction science and related public health services in the United States. It documents workforce reductions, grant terminations, and budget cuts affecting research, surveillance systems, and treatment and prevention programmes. The report analyzes impacts on the National Institutes of Health, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and other agencies, highlighting reduced funding for substance use research and service delivery. It also examines effects on training programmes, data systems, scientific output, and the broader economic consequences of declining research investment.

Read the full report and watch the launch in English.

A new modelling study estimates that recent disruptions to funding from the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) could lead to significant increases in HIV and hepatitis C (HCV) transmission, as well as drug-related deaths among people who inject drugs. Focusing on nine countries where PEPFAR supported opioid agonist therapy (OAT), the researchers found that disruptions to OAT and NSPs could result in thousands of additional HIV and hepatitis C infections over the coming years, with most of the impact driven by reduced access to needle and syringe programmes. The findings underscore the critical role of harm reduction services in preventing infections and saving lives, and highlight the urgent need to address emerging funding gaps.

Read the full research paper in English.

A new primer examines Resolution 60/26 on the human rights implications of drug policy, adopted by consensus at the UN Human Rights Council in October 2025. As the fourth Human Rights Council resolution dedicated to drug policy, it reinforces the growing role of the UN human rights system in addressing drug policy issues and strengthens international language on harm reduction, non-discrimination, gender-responsive approaches, Indigenous Peoples’ rights, access to controlled medicines, alternatives to incarceration, and environmental protection. Designed as a practical advocacy tool, the primer explains the significance of the resolution and offers guidance for civil society organizations seeking to advance human rights-based drug policy reforms at national, regional, and international levels.

Read the full primer in English.

A French translation has been released of a landmark report exploring how the legal regulation of stimulant drugs could provide an alternative to prohibitionist policies that have failed to reduce production, consumption, and drug-related harms worldwide. Originally published in 2020, the report examines how substances such as cocaine, MDMA, and amphetamines could be regulated through a public health- and social justice-oriented framework designed to reduce violence, exploitation, and overdose deaths associated with illegal markets.

The report proposes measures including government-controlled supply chains, state-regulated retail outlets, standardized dosages, plain packaging with health warnings, and restrictions on advertising and commercialization. It also emphasizes the importance of investing revenues from regulated markets in harm reduction, treatment, education, and sustainable development initiatives, particularly for communities most affected by the “war on drugs”.

The French edition was produced by Association des intervenants en dépendance du Québec (AIDQ), Fédération Addiction,  Fédération bruxelloise des institutions spécialisées en matière de drogues et addictions (féda bxl), and Groupement Romand d’Études des Addictions (GREA), and features a foreword by Commissioner Ruth Dreifuss. Readers are also invited to watch the webinar recording featuring Commissioner Dreifuss discussing the report and its proposals.

Read the full guide in English, French and Spanish

A new report by Acción Andina – Bolivia and the feminist coalition Programa Libertas documents torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment linked to the implementation of drug policy in Bolivia. Drawing on a decade of socio-legal research, casework, and testimonies from affected individuals, the report examines abuses experienced by people who use drugs, people accused of low-level drug offenses, and coca growers from Los Yungas in La Paz.

The publication documents patterns of violence during police operations and in detention facilities, prisons, and so-called “rehabilitation centers,” highlighting the racial, socioeconomic, and gendered dimensions of these abuses. It also underscores the widespread impunity surrounding such practices, as well as the lack of justice, care, and reparations available to survivors.

The findings were submitted to the United Nations Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture ahead of its evaluation visit to Bolivia in December 2024.

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The International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC) has published a new advocacy note outlining how the independent expert panel established by Commission on Narcotic Drugs Resolution 68/6 can ensure meaningful engagement with civil society, affected communities, academia, and youth organizations. Adopted at the Commission’s 68th session in March 2025, the resolution established a multidisciplinary panel to review the international drug control system and develop recommendations to strengthen its implementation.

The note argues that inclusive and transparent consultations will be essential to ensuring that the review process advances health, human rights, social justice, and evidence-based drug policies. Drawing on practices from across the UN system, it proposes recommendations for a coordinated and participatory consultation process to better inform the panel’s deliberations and outcomes.

Read the full advocacy note in English

A new expert review examines trends in cocaine use in France in the context of increased A new expert review examines trends in cocaine use in France in the context of increased availability, evolving trafficking methods, and changing patterns of consumption. The report highlights rising use across broader population groups, including increased use of crack cocaine, and examines the associated health, social, and economic impacts. It reviews evidence on prevention, harm reduction, treatment, social support, and criminal justice responses, with the aim of identifying effective and promising public health strategies. The analysis underscores the need for coordinated and integrated policies that address the health, social, and market-related dimensions of cocaine use.

Read the full report in French

The 2026–2031 Global AIDS Strategy outlines a framework to sustain progress towards ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 in the context of growing global challenges. It highlights the impact of shifting funding landscapes, rising inequalities increasing human rights pressures, while identifying opportunities presented by new innovations. The Strategy sets out priority actions to expand equitable access to HIV services, address structural barriers, and strengthen a coordinated, people-centred global response led by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).

Read the full strategy in English

This report provides qualitative insights into drug use trends across 20 European cities between July 2024 and July 2025. Based on focus group discussions with key informants, it explores emerging patterns not yet captured in quantitative data, including shifts in substance use, polysubstance consumption, and routes of administration.It highlights local market dynamics and user practices, offering city-level perspectives to inform timely, evidence-based responses, harm reduction strategies, and targeted service planning.

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This report examines the expansion of fentanyl markets in northern Mexico, highlighting the role of local criminal governance in shaping distribution and consumption patterns. Based on qualitative research across five cities, it finds that market development is uneven and influenced by the strategic decisions of fragmented criminal groups. It underscores the limits of enforcement-led responses and emphasizes the importance of integrating public health measures, harm reduction, and community-based interventions to address emerging synthetic drug challenges.

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This commentary examines the evolution of Cannabis Social Clubs (CSCs) in Uruguay over a decade of regulation. Drawing on administrative data and fieldwork, it identifies sustained growth in membership, geographic expansion, and institutional stability. CSCs continue to play a significant role in legal cannabis supply, at times matching or exceeding pharmacy sales. Despite higher costs, product diversity has sustained demand. It highlights ongoing challenges, including market competition and the integration of CSCs within broader legal cannabis frameworks.

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This briefing summarizes key discussions and outcomes from the 61st session of the UN Human Rights Council, with a focus on drug policy and human rights. It highlights concerns over the use of the death penalty for drug offences, including in Iran, the misuse of counter-terrorism frameworks in drug control, and rights violations linked to punitive approaches. It also reviews country-specific developments and calls for a shift towards health-, development-, and human rights-based drug policies.

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The Safe Inhalation Pipe Provision (SIPP) pilot in England explored how providing crack pipes and training staff affects engagement with drug services. Safe equipment enabled new contacts and disclosures among highly marginalised users, while workforce training improved communication and trust. Structural barriers still limit access for some, highlighting the need for complementary measures, including peer-led distribution, to ensure equitable support.

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A 2025 analysis of ten Eastern Europe and Central Asia countries finds that civic space for organisations supporting people living with HIV and key populations is increasingly restricted. Legal pressures, selective enforcement, and criminalisation limit freedom of association, assembly, and expression, while deterring engagement with health services. Civil society adapts through risk mitigation, though these strategies reduce meaningful participation. The report highlights community-led monitoring, strategic litigation, coalition building, and advocacy as vital tools to sustain HIV and TB responses under shrinking civic space.

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This playbook offers evidence-based strategies to tackle homelessness, addiction, and unmet mental health needs in the United States. It highlights proven interventions – including healthcare, drug and mental health treatment, overdose prevention, and supportive housing – that save lives and strengthen communities. By promoting a shared narrative of safety, access, and belonging, it equips advocates to counter fear-based messaging and advance policies for healthier, more resilient communities.

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This new guidance note offers practical, evidence-based strategies to align drug policies with human rights and public health in the HIV response. It highlights the disproportionate impact of HIV on people who use drugs and the effectiveness of harm reduction and voluntary, community-led services. Decriminalization is emphasized as a key step to expanding access to care, reducing stigma, improving health outcomes, and advancing progress toward ending AIDS.

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In 2025, executions for drug offences surged by 97%, making up nearly half of all confirmed global executions. These harsh measures remain concentrated in a small number of countries and disproportionately affect vulnerable populations and low-level actors. More than 1,200 people were executed, with thousands more on death row for drug offences worldwide. Despite evidence showing the death penalty does not deter drug-related crime, its use continues to escalate – highlighting the urgent need for human rights–based drug policy reform and the abolition of capital punishment.

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This advocacy paper examines the adoption of UN Human Rights Council Resolution 60/26 on the human rights implications of drug policy. Tabled by Colombia on behalf of a cross-regional core group, the resolution was adopted without a vote in October 2025. The analysis reviews its significance in affirming the Human Rights Council’s role in drug policy debates, strengthening the mandate of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and expanding the integration of human rights considerations in drug policy discussions.

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This information pack examines sentencing options used as alternatives to the death penalty, with a focus on life and long-term imprisonment. Drawing on comparative international research, it reviews global trends and evaluates their compatibility. The publication analyzes the implications of increased reliance on life imprisonment and outlines practical guidance to support proportionate, humane and rights-based responses to serious crimes.

This 2026 edition replaces the first edition published in 2015.

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In its 2025 Annual Report, the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) highlights the role of international cooperation under the Three International Drug Control Conventions in protecting health and addressing illicit drug challenges. The report underscores the effectiveness of monitoring systems to prevent diversion of controlled substances, operational platforms supporting real-time information exchange, and partnerships with governments and the private sector. It also notes persistent disparities in access to affordable medicines for pain relief.

Watch the global launch of the report.

Read the full report in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.

This publication examines the outcome of the WHO Expert Committee on Drug Dependence (ECDD)’s critical review of the coca leaf. Despite findings indicating no significant public health harms associated with traditional coca use, the ECDD recommended retaining coca leaf in Schedule I of the 1961 Single Convention. The analysis explores the rationale for this decision, including interpretations of the “convertibility” principle, concerns regarding cocaine control, and the implications for traditional uses and the UN drug scheduling system.

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The 61st session of the Human Rights Council provides key opportunities to examine the human rights impacts of drug control policies across agenda items, including torture, human rights defenders, housing, financing for development, counter-terrorism, the death penalty, and Universal Periodic Review outcomes. Discussions may highlight safeguards against ill-treatment, protection of defenders, non-discriminatory access to housing, rights-based budgeting, proportionate legal frameworks, and the abolition of the death penalty, including for drug-related offenses.

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This operational guide provides evidence-based, practical steps to support the planning, implementation and scale-up of needle and syringe programmes as part of comprehensive harm reduction responses. It translates WHO recommendations into actionable guidance for programme managers, donors and community actors. It outlines a structured framework covering planning, service delivery, integration, monitoring and sustainability, emphasizing human rights, community leadership and equitable access.

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This article examines youth drug use as a global public health and human rights challenge, highlighting its impact on health, education, dignity and social protection. It reviews international legal frameworks, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and underscores state obligations for prevention, treatment and rehabilitation. The paper analyzes best practices and emphasizes comprehensive, rights-based approaches.

Read the full report in English and Uzbek.

This report assesses progress since the  2016 United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on the World Drug Problem, examining how the global drug control framework has influenced reform efforts. Drawing on UN data, academic research, and civil society input, it finds that meaningful change has been limited. The report highlights the need to modernize international drug control treaties, strengthen health- and human rights–based approaches, and reform UN drug policy governance.

The foreword was authored by Commissioner Juan Manuel Santos, who played a key role in convening the 2016 UNGASS, and he also addressed the report launch on 3 February in Geneva.

This report, the 23rd of the  Národního monitorovacího střediska pro drogy a závislosti (NMS) (National Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Addiction [NMS]), provides an overview of the situation and recent developments in illicit drug use in the Czech Republic. It reviews legislation and policy frameworks, patterns and prevalence of drug use, prevention, treatment and harm reduction services, drug-related crime, and trends in drug markets. The analysis draws on the most recent national data available through 2025 and, where possible, presents trends over the past decade to support monitoring and policy planning.

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This study assesses the initial community impact of Ireland’s first medically supervised injecting facility during its first four months of operation. Using systematic patrol data before and after opening, it examines changes in discarded needles, drug-related litter, public injecting, and loitering. Findings show significant reductions in drug-related litter and loitering, stable levels of public injecting, and a non-significant decline in discarded needles, contributing early evidence to inform policy and evaluation.

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This report presents an unedited manuscript examining a Health Impact Assessment to inform a proposed pilot providing safer inhalation devices for people who smoke crack cocaine in Wales. Drawing on a participatory process involving service providers, public health actors and people with lived experience, it identifies potential health, social and service impacts. The assessment highlights reduced infection risks and increased service engagement, alongside implementation challenges, and outlines considerations to guide pilot design, delivery and evaluation. Findings are preliminary and subject to revision prior to final publication.

Read the advanced copy in English

Young sex workers who use drugs face compounded criminalization and stigma that heighten their exposure to violence and limit access to health, social, and harm reduction services. A global Youth RISE working group highlights the importance of peer-led, youth-focused services, decriminalization, and meaningful engagement of young sex workers who use drugs in policy, service design, and research to uphold their agency, reduce harm, and address structural inequities.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

Read the full report in Indonesian.

In 2021, OnPoint NYC opened the first two government-sanctioned Overdose Prevention Centers (OPCs) in the United States. Now in year two, we have continued to save lives and support wellness through connections to care – while deepening relationships and providing more effective support to our community. Learn more about our second year of operations, our impact, and efforts to save lives.

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The report highlights how the New Zealand government spends money now responding to illegal drugs, and contrasts this against community views. This research highlights that there is strong community support for greater investment in a health-based approach. This includes treatment, prevention, and harm reduction. This report makes four recommendations to improve drug policy in New Zealand, in ways that are consistent with community views. This presents an opportunity for our politicians to follow the evidence and move towards a health-based approach to drugs. Crucially, this research shows they would be supported by the community in doing so.

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The 2025 funding crisis has thrown the AIDS response into turmoil with massive disruptions to HIV prevention and community led services, particularly for the most vulnerable. However, the new report by UNAIDS shows evidence that resilience, investment and innovation combined with global solidarity still offer a path to end AIDS.

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This briefing provides updates to key data from Harm Reduction International’s flagship report, The Global State of Harm Reduction. The full report is published every two years, with updates to key data released in between editions of the report. This update also summarises key developments in harm reduction services, funding and drug policy since the launch of the ninth edition of the report in November 2024.

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This analysis documents 19 U.S. military strikes on civilian vessels in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific between September and November 2025, resulting in at least 76 deaths. Evidence indicates that these operations lack legal authorization and have no measurable impact on drug supply or organized crime. The findings highlight declining overdose deaths in the United States due to public health measures and underscore the limits and risks of militarized drug control strategies.

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This article from Intersecção – Política de Drogas, Uso da terra e Justiça Climática analyzes the socioeconomic and environmental impacts of prohibiting coca and cocaine production in the Amazon Basin and Brazil. It identifies drug prohibition as a contributing factor to deforestation, armed violence, and human rights violations, linking these to broader climate and territorial justice concerns. The findings underscore the need to integrate drug policy reform and ecological harm reduction into climate mitigation and adaptation strategies.

Read the full article in English, Portuguese and Spanish.

A public consultation is being held from 20 October to 7 November 2025 to assess progress and gather insights on the implementation of the International Guidelines on Human Rights and Drug Policy. The consultation seeks input from community-led and civil society organizations, governments, and experts working on drug policy, harm reduction, sustainable livelihoods, and human rights. Findings will inform UN system discussions on evidence-based, rights-centered, and development-oriented drug policies, highlighting good practices, challenges, and opportunities to strengthen cooperation and promote inclusive, health-focused approaches.

Participate in the consultation.

This report examines how global drug control systems perpetuate colonial and racial power imbalances through financial aid, technical assistance, and material support from high-income to low- and middle-income countries. It documents the influence of donor states in shaping punitive drug regimes, including law enforcement training, prison expansion, and abstinence-based education campaigns. The report highlights links between drug enforcement, mass incarceration, and land and resource dispossession, while contrasting these with evidence of the cost-effectiveness of harm reduction. It concludes with recommendations to redirect funding toward health- and rights-based approaches to dismantle discriminatory global drug control structures.

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This paper examines the scientific, cultural, and legal dimensions of coca, a sacred South American plant currently classified under the same international control as cocaine. It highlights evidence confirming coca’s benign stimulant properties, nutritional value, and deep cultural significance among Indigenous and rural communities. The analysis notes that the current scheduling under the 1961 Convention has restricted research, criminalized traditional practices, and conflicted with international human rights and biodiversity frameworks. The forthcoming WHO Expert Committee review presents an opportunity to distinguish coca from cocaine and to align international policy with scientific evidence and Indigenous rights.

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This study examines the potential effectiveness of drug decriminalization as an alternative to Kazakhstan’s current punitive approach. It analyses national policy through a SWOT framework, identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats associated with reform. The findings suggest that decriminalization could reduce prison overcrowding and improve access to treatment, but successful implementation would require significant investment in health and social support systems, as well as strengthened public trust in institutions. The study draws on international experiences to assess the feasibility of adopting evidence-based, health-oriented approaches to drug control within the national context.

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This report provides an evidence-based analysis of developments in prison systems and criminal justice worldwide. It examines voting rights for prisoners during the 2024 elections and addresses rising rates of suicide and violence, inadequate healthcare, and the environmental impact of prison infrastructure. Emerging topics include the growing use of technology in prisons, highlighting promising practices and ethical challenges. Marking the 15th anniversary of the United Nations Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders (the Bangkok Rules), the report underscores limited progress in reducing women’s imprisonment and advocates for gender-responsive, community-based alternatives. It also emphasizes the increasing role of individuals with lived experience in driving meaningful reform. Supported by ILANUD, it serves as a key resource for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers working to advance human rights and sustainable reform in criminal justice systems.

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This paper analyses the impacts of criminalizing drug possession and related offences in Canada, finding that punitive laws have failed to reduce drug use or improve public safety. Instead, these measures have contributed to poor health outcomes, entrenched stigma, and systemic discrimination, particularly affecting Indigenous, Black, unhoused, and low-income populations. While recent policy discussions have focused on decriminalizing simple possession, penalties for drug trafficking have intensified. The study concludes that this uneven reform may deepen social and health inequities, underscoring the need for comprehensive approaches that align drug policy with public health and human rights objectives.

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This report presents findings from consultations held across 15 European cities on local harm reduction responses and emerging drug trends. Cities reported growing challenges, including underfunding, staff shortages, limited availability of drug consumption rooms and checking services, and persistent stigma. Rapid changes in drug markets—marked by rising use of cocaine, new psychoactive substances, and synthetic opioids—have increased overdose risks and exposed gaps in preparedness. Despite these pressures, cities are advancing innovative, rights-based approaches through integrated services, peer-led initiatives, and cross-sectoral cooperation, demonstrating the importance of sustained investment and local leadership in effective harm reduction strategies.

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The Human Rights Council’s 60th session adopted a landmark resolution affirming its mandate to address drug policy within the human rights framework. The resolution calls for alternatives to incarceration, integration of public health and human rights approaches, and the participation of affected communities. Discussions also addressed the death penalty for drug-related offences, arbitrary detention, and the need for voluntary, rights-based drug treatment. The Council requested a report on the impact of drug policies on women and girls and reaffirmed cooperation among UN entities to advance evidence-based, health- and rights-centred approaches to drug control.

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This new WHO guidance sets out recommendations to ensure the continuity of opioid agonist maintenance treatment (OAMT) during crises such as disease outbreaks, conflict, and other emergencies. Recognizing OAMT as an essential, life-saving health service, the report emphasizes that treatment must remain uninterrupted and fully integrated within national health systems. It outlines contingency measures to prevent disruptions, including early coordination with affected communities, expanded take-home treatment options, overdose prevention through naloxone distribution, and strengthened psychosocial support to maintain access and continuity of care for people who use drugs.

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This study examines opioid-related deaths in England and Wales from 2011 to 2022 using data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the National Programme on Substance Use Mortality (NPSUM). Findings indicate that ONS data significantly underestimates opioid-related deaths due to ambiguous cause-of-death reporting, particularly amid rising polydrug use. In 2011, heroin- and morphine-related deaths were underestimated by 29 percent, increasing to 36 percent by 2022. Similar underestimations were observed for other opioids, including methadone and fentanyl. These discrepancies have important implications for resource allocation, policymaking, and public health strategies to address opioid-related mortality.

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This report outlines strategies to expand point-of-care testing for hepatitis C, which remains underdiagnosed and undertreated worldwide. It identifies six key components for effective and scalable programs: operator training, quality assurance, site selection and care models, community and service engagement, connectivity and data integration, and sustainable supply and cost structures. Drawing on discussions from the 2025 INHSU Point-of-Care Testing Forum, the report emphasizes how these elements work together to shorten the time between diagnosis and treatment and improve access for underserved populations, supporting progress toward hepatitis C control.

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This paper examines the relationship between drug policy and sustainable development, exploring its impacts on human rights, governance, health, and the environment. It shows how punitive enforcement has contributed to violence, corruption, incarceration, and health crises, while failing to reduce harm. The paper reviews global trends toward human rights– and evidence-based reforms, including decriminalization and harm reduction, and analyzes the opportunities and risks associated with legal regulation. It emphasizes the need for inclusive approaches that address inequities, protect marginalized communities, and align drug policy with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), ensuring that no one is left behind.

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A new special collection brings together diverse perspectives on harm reduction across Europe, examining its history, current challenges, and future directions. Contributions from policymakers, researchers, practitioners, and people with living and lived experience of drug use highlight both progress and persistent gaps, particularly in Eastern and Southeastern Europe and Central Asia. The series includes an article, “Europe Must Continue to Lead on Harm Reduction” by Commissioner Michel Kazatchkine and Brendan Kahn (Advocacy Coordinator, GCDP), underscoring the need for political will to expand lifesaving services and adapt to an increasingly complex drug situation.

Read the full collection in English.

The Global Commission on Drug Policy and WHO co-organized the Inter-Ministerial Dialogue “Catalyzing Action on Drug Policy: Promoting Health-Based Responses at National Level through UN System Collaboration” on the margins of the 78th World Health Assembly (WHA). Moderated by Commissioner Michel Kazatchkine, speakers included Helen Clark (GCDP), Justice Tettey (UNODC), Mandeep Dhaliwal (UNDP), Álvaro Ayala Meléndez (Colombia), Francisco Pavão (Portugal), Neil Gray (Scotland), and Jérôme Salomon (WHO). Discussions highlighted alignment with the UN System Common Position and International Guidelines on Human Rights and Drug Policy, with participants underscoring reforms, national experiences, and the need for stronger UN system collaboration.

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This report presents an overview of youth confinement in the United States, analyzing the number of young people detained or committed, where they are held, under what conditions, and for what offenses. It highlights that while confinement has declined by more than 70 percent over the past 25 years, serious challenges remain. Black and Indigenous youth are disproportionately represented, and thousands are confined pretrial or for minor offenses. Nearly 80 percent of youth are held in prison-like facilities. The findings underscore persistent disparities and structural issues in the juvenile justice system.

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This report provides updated global and national data on women’s incarceration, showing that over 740,000 women and girls are imprisoned worldwide – a 60% increase since 2000. The United States accounts for nearly 200,000 of these individuals, representing one-quarter of the global total despite housing only 4% of the world’s female population. With an incarceration rate of 112 per 100,000, the U.S. ranks second only to El Salvador. The report examines State-by-State comparisons and highlights how laws criminalizing poverty, reproductive rights, and drug use disproportionately affect women and girls, driving continued growth in incarceration.

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A new WHO guideline provides recommendations for developing balanced national policies on controlled medicines to ensure accessibility, availability, and affordability for medical and scientific purposes while minimizing risks from non-medical use. The guideline addresses medicines essential for pain management, palliative care, mental health, neurological conditions, substance use disorders, and use in humanitarian emergencies. Covering opioids, benzodiazepines, barbiturates, cannabinoids, stimulants, and others, the recommendations highlight the importance of meeting the needs of all age groups, including vulnerable populations, in line with international obligations and the WHO Roadmap for access to medicines.

Read the full report in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.

This advocacy paper examines the adoption of UN Human Rights Council Resolution 60/26 on the human rights implications of drug policy. Tabled by Colombia on behalf of a cross-regional core group, the resolution was adopted without a vote in October 2025. The analysis reviews its significance in affirming the Human Rights Council’s role in drug policy debates, strengthening the mandate of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and expanding the integration of human rights considerations in drug policy discussions.

Read the full report in French.

The Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) invites proposals to conduct an impact evaluation of its People Who Use Drugs (PWUD) Portfolio, assessing contributions to drug policy reform, harm reduction, and HIV outcomes across six priority countries and globally. Applications are due 15 February 2026. For details and submissions, contact Miguel Camacho.

Submission Deadline: 15 February 2026, End of Day (GMT)

Visit the EJAF website for more information