International
Get active in drug policy
Hot topics: alcohol | drug law review The Government and its agencies, Parliament and other organisations often seek comment and input into drug policy issues. This might be in the form of consultations or inviting submissions to select committees, or seeking expert comment on draft policies.
The ultimate price: The death penalty for drug offences
Over the course of two weeks in November 2007, Vietnamese courts condemned 35 people to death for drug related offences [1]. It was such a flurry of death sentences that even the media became interested after having ignored the issue for so long. According to Amnesty International, the death penalty has been abolished in law or practice in 133 states. Of the 64 states that continue to use capital punishment, nearly half have legislation applying the death penalty for drug related offences. Rick Lines illustrates how this ultimate breach of human rights is used by many countries as punishment for drug users and traffickers.Over the past 20 years, there has been a remarkable trend towards the abolition of capital punishment worldwide. Yet, during this same period, the number of countries expanding the application of the death penalty to include drug offences has increased from 22 in 1985, to 26 in 1995, to at least 34 by the end of 2000 [2]. The majority of these countries are in the Middle East, North Africa and the Asia Pacific region, and in some, drug offences can carry a mandatory sentence of death.[3]
20 November 2007 | "Beyond 2008" NGO Questionnaire
In June 1998, the UN General Assembly met in a Special Session to address the world drug problem. This was the first time that the General Assembly met solely to focus on drug issues. They meet again in 2009 to review their progress. NGOs are getting involved in the review.
3 August 2007 | International Drug Policy Consortium August Information Alert
Monthly update on international drug policy issues.
Alcohol, poverty and development
The use of alcohol presents a dual challenge in developing societies. Alcohol related problems, including addiction, family violence and so on, become an additional burden on families and communities already struggling with poverty. Perversely, experience shows that, once developing societies have begun to reduce poverty problems and create economic growth, alcohol consumption tends to rise, with a corresponding rise in related harm. In this guest editorial, Øystein Bakke introduces us to these issues.Alcohol has long been in use in most societies throughout history. Normally its use has been regulated by traditions and social norms concerning when, how and by whom it should be consumed. In many locations, however, traditional production is still going on, and new alcoholic products and drinking patterns are compounding already existing problems.
12 June 2007 | International Drug Policy Consortium June Information Alert
The International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC) is a global network of 26 NGOs and professional networks that specialise in issues related to illegal drug production and use. The Consortium aims to promote objective and open debate on the effectiveness, direction and content of drug policies at national and international level, and supports evidence-based policies that are effective in reducing drug-related harm. It disseminates the reports of its member organisations about particular drug-related matters, and offers expert consultancy services to policymakers and officials around the world.
Inquiry into New Zealand’s relationships with South Pacific (Submission)
The Drug Foundation is concerned about the widespread harms caused by drugs in New Zealand communities; the biggest harms are being caused by our legal drugs – alcohol and tobacco. Alcohol and tobacco cause serious problems on a global scale.
Making a dramatic impact?
New Zealand prides itself for punching above its weight on the world stage. Ashley Bloomfield argues we play an important role in the international response to tobacco, alcohol and illicit drugs.“All the World’s a Stage and all the men and women merely players” - William Shakespeare’s As You Like It (II, vii, 139-143)
