AP article on Global Commission and UNGASS

Associated Press 3-Day UN Special Session on Drug Policy Starts Tuesday Dave Bryan Apr 19, 2016   The first U.N. special session to address global drug policy in nearly 20 years is expected to feature a debate over whether countries should emphasize criminalization and punishment or health and human rights.

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An Interview with Nick Clegg About the Government’s Drug Problem

By Max Daly  April 18, 2016 From the column ‘Narcomania’ For the next three days, the most important meeting on global drug policy since the 1990s will take place in New York. The UN General Assembly Special Session on Drugs (UNGASS) will see governments from around the world coming together to discuss

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Former Supreme Court justice among jurists, stars, politicians demanding drug reform

By Andrew Duffy Former Supreme Court Justice Louise Arbour is among a host of international jurists, politicians, celebrities and sports stars to sign a letter that denounces the “disastrous” war on drugs and urges the United Nations to lead the world toward a more enlightened drug policy. “Humankind cannot afford a

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The Global Drug Control System and the SDG’s Agenda: April 20

The Global Commission on Drug Policy cordially invites all those attending the UNGASS 2016 to an official side event titled: The Global Drug Control System and the Sustainable Development Goals’ Agenda. Speakers include the President of the General Assembly, official representatives from Mexico, Uruguay, Switzerland and the United Nations Development Program.  The

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Nick Clegg on Drugs Policy – BBC Newsnight

Commissioner Nick Clegg traveled to Colombia in March 2016 to learn more about the drugs trade from the production side.  He met with people involved in the illicit market, in harm reduction programs and from the government.  Watch the video to learn about how drug policy is changing in production

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Richard Branson on Meet the Press: Time to End ‘Failed’ War on Drugs

Philanthropist and business mogul Sir Richard Branson joins the global fight to end the war on drugs, saying that it has “created untold misery.” Watch the video below to learn more about the need to rethink drug policy on a local, national and international level.   http://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/video/branson-time-to-end-failed-war-on-drugs-664581187694

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Illicit Drugs Are Not the Only Problem — It’s Outdated Drug Policy That Needs Fixing by Fernando Henrique Cardoso

Huffington Post Fernando Henrique Cardoso Former President of Brazil April 11, 2016 São Paulo, Brazil — Next week the United Nations is convening the largest gathering on drug policy that the world has seen in two decades. It was the brainchild of three Latin American presidents — from Colombia, Guatemala and Mexico —

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Activists refute Chinese, Russian claims of drug abuse reduction

Activists refute Chinese, Russian claims of drug abuse reduction Stated success of strict prohibition policies undermined by increased demand for rehab services and rising disease rates By Luke Vargas – April 5, 2016 A female opium addict hides her face at the Mazar-i-Sharif detox centre in Afghanistan. January 18, 2011. Flickr photo:

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The UN’s war on drugs is a failure. Is it time for a different approach?

The UN’s war on drugs is a failure. Is it time for a different approach? A policy of prohibition has put the drugs trade in the hands of criminals and led to suffering for millions. Now there are hopes a special United Nations session will see reform  Wilson Pineda, a

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Interview with President Zedillo on PBS

PBS TV: Open Mind Former Mexico President Ernesto Zedillo talks about rewriting drug policy in the following interview.  http://www.thirteen.org/openmind/foreign-affairs/el-presidente/5385/

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