Rest in peace Carlos Fuentes

The members of the Global Commission on Drug Policy are immensely sad with the loss of our colleague, Mexican author Carlos Fuentes. We express our sincere condolences to his family and a deep gratitude for him being part of so many important endeavors during his life, including his dedication to

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Former Polish President Joins Global Commission to Urge New Drug Laws

First leader from Eastern Europe to take part Former president of Poland Aleksander Kwasniewski has joined the Global Commission on Drug Policy to help the reform of ineffective and harmful drug laws. He is the fifth president to join the Commission, along with Cesar Gaviria of Colombia, Fernando Henrique Cardoso

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Saying No to Costly Drug Laws

By Aleksander Kwasniewski In the year 2000, as the president of Poland, I signed one of Europe’s most conservative laws on drug possession. Any amount of illicit substances a person possessed meant they were eligible for up to three years in prison. Our hope was that this would help to

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Sir Richard Branson to accept 2012 Cannabis Culture Award in Spain on behalf of the Global Commission on Drug Policy

Sir Richard Branson will receive the Cannabis Culture Award 2012 in Barcelona this week on behalf of the Global Commission on Drug Policy. Sir Richard serves on the Global Commission along with former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour, former Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso, and former U.S.

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Global Commission on Drug Policy receives Cannabis Culture Award in recognition of efforts to end the war on drugs

Commissioners Thorvald Stoltenberg and Sir Richard Branson will attend ceremonies in Amsterdam and Barcelona The Global Commission on Drug Policy will be conferred with the Cannabis Culture Award from the Hash Marihuana & Hemp Museum as recognition of its efforts to end the war on drugs and for harm reduction

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Drugs: The Debate Goes Mainstream

By Fernando Henrique Cardoso, César Gaviria and Ernesto Zedillo What is the best way to deal with drugs? Criminalizing drug users or treating them as patients? Sticking to a strict prohibitionist stance or experimenting with alternative forms of regulation and prevention? Latin America is talking about drugs like never before.

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Statement regarding Mr. Kofi Annan

Mr. Kofi Annan has been recently appointed as Joint Special Envoy for Syria. Given that this complex and critical assignment will absorb his full energies and attention for the coming months, he felt appropriate to recuse himself as a Commissioner of the Global Commission on Drug Policy with immediate effect,

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Led by Latin America, debate on ending the war on drugs gains momentum while the UN remains closed to change

The 55th annual session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) started today in Vienna, Austria with a focus on strengthening the drug programme of the UN. Government representatives from over 100 countries will discuss international cooperation in combating drugs, and the enforcement of the current prohibition model. The United

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World leaders urge Canada to avoid mandatory minimum sentences for marijuana

Virgin Group founder Richard Branson; former Presidents of Brazil, Colombia and Switzerland; and former Federal Supreme Court Justice Louise Arbour call Bill C-10 a ‘grave mistake’ [Vancouver, BC] — World business, legal and political leaders with the influential Global Commission on Drug Policy are calling on Canada to reject the

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