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Decriminalisation alone is, of course, not sufficient.

The Global Commission on Drug Policy’s latest report, published ahead of World AIDS Day on Dec 1, describes decriminalisation of drug use as an essential precursor to ending HIV and viral hepatitis as public health threats. Since its formation in 2011 by political, economic, and cultural leaders, the Commission has advocated for decriminalisation as part of a rights-based approach to drug policy, rooted in scientific evidence and principles of public health, to minimise the harms arising from drug use. The UN recognises criminalisation of drugs as “proven to have negative health outcomes” and to “counter established public health evidence”; yet a disconnection between discourse and policy action persists. National drug policies largely remain punitive; they are polarised, simplified, and based more on ideology than evidence. According to the Global State of Harm Reduction 2022 report, 115 of 128 included countries still criminalise drug use, and only 105 countries support harm reduction as an official policy.

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