U.N. narcotics report advocates alternatives to incarceration (March 3, 2017)
The 2016 report from the International Narcotics Control Board is out. It emphasizes that "criminal justice responses to drug use must be tempered by respect for due process and acknowledgment that the conventions foresee humane and proportionate responses to substance abuse and drug-related crimes, including alternatives to conviction through education, treatment, aftercare, rehabilitation and social reintegration."
The report says that usage of common drugs continues to increase in the region -- an established trend -- but encourages countries to rethink traditional strategies, notes InSight Crime.
In reference to Latin America specifically, the board notes a CARICOM Regional Commission on Marijuana meeting last year, and emphasizes that the 1961 Convention limits the use of cannabis to medical and scientific purposes. "The Board encourages States to adopt nonpunitive responses for minor drug-related offences committed by drug users, instead of arrest and incarceration, as an alternative provided by the international drug control conventions."
The report walks a fine line on the issue of cannabis: it notes that medicinal use is permitted by international treaty, but also emphasizes that sale for recreational purposes is not permitted by those conventions.
A thematic chapter looks at the issue of women and drugs. "Drug-related harms to women and the resulting consequences for communities are often sorely under-studied, and gender-disaggregated data on drug use are rarely collected," according to the foreword.
Women and girls comprise one-third of global drug users yet are only one-fifth of those receiving treatment, as significant systemic, structural, social, cultural and personal barriers affect women’s ability to access substance abuse treatment.
The report emphasizes Central America and the Caribbean's role as a major trans-shipment area for drugs produced in the Andean region, notably Colombia.
News Briefs
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