The United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk issued a call for the international community to abandon punitive drug policies, declaring that the global war on drugs has failed.
"The evidence is clear. The so-called War on Drugs has failed, completely and utterly. And prioritizing people over punishment means more lives are saved,” said Türk while speaking at the ‘Dealing with Drugs II' conference in Warsaw, which brought together leaders and experts from across Europe and the world last Thursday.
The UN commissioner said there is an urgent need for evidence-based, human rights-focused approaches that prioritize health and inclusion over criminalization. "These policies are simply not working—and we are failing some of the most vulnerable groups in our societies."
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Radical Shift In Approach
Türk advocated for treating drug use disorders as public health issues rather than crimes.
"We need to start treating the person, not punishing the drug use disorder," he said, according to a UN press release.
"Historically, people who use drugs are marginalized, criminalized, discriminated against and left behind—very often stripped of their dignity and their rights,” he said. "We are destined to fail unless we ensure their genuine participation in formulating and implementing drug policy."
Referring to the devastating human toll of punitive drug laws, Türk called for transformative change. "The so-called war on drugs has destroyed countless lives and damaged entire communities," he said, pointing to record levels of drug-related deaths, rising drug use disorders and illegal drug production.
Türk urged governments to adopt the International Guidelines on Human Rights and Drug Policy. He said harm reduction measures such as decriminalization, supervised consumption sites and access to overdose reversal drugs like naloxone, which rapidly reverses the effects of an opioid overdose.
US Fentanyl Problem
UN News pointed out that "North America faces an unprecedented fentanyl crisis with synthetic drugs claiming lives at an alarming rate" across the U.S. and parts of Asia and Africa.
Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control show overdose deaths involving opioids in the U.S. (primarily fentanyl) decreased from an estimated 84,181 in 2022 to 81,083 in 2023.
In March 2023, the FDA approved Emergent BioSolutions Inc‘s (NYSE:EBS) naloxone nasal spray for over-the-counter (OTC) use – the first naloxone product approved for use without a prescription.
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