The Singaporean criminal justice system expected Yong Vui Kong to die for a mistake he’d made when he was just 19 years old. There are many other stories like his. Listen to an audio version of this article.
The image of China as an opium slave was the starting point for an international ‘war on drugs’ which, over a century later, is still being fought today.
In this photo essay, Liliana recounts how she was threatened and forced into transporting drugs to Argentina, where she is now being incarcerated far from her two children in Venezuela. Español
Impunity over human rights violations generates an unconscionable mixture: the economic and political interests of criminality go unscathed, while the most marginalised, and often innocent, people face the worst consequences. Español
The Brazilian city has been an extreme example of the failure of the ‘war on drugs’ – but recent policing measures offer potential alternatives. Can Rio learn to fight violence rather than drugs? Español
In April, openDemocracy was in New York to meet the Caravan Activists, a remarkable group of men and women, who have lost loved ones to the 'war on drugs'. Now they campaign to change the system.
The global drug prohibition model stokes human rights violations across the world, despite the recent UN drug summit. What can be done? openDemocracy and the Center for Legal and Social Studies (CELS) explore in our ongoing partnership.
The official consensus from the United Nations summit last month was ‘business as usual’ for the global drug control regime. But there’s cause for optimism for the future. Here are three predictions. Español
The war on drugs is presented as a battle against social evils. But from the Andes to the Caribbean, prohibition has criminalised cultural expression. Español
As the United Nations General Assembly Session meets in New York today to discuss the ‘world drug problem’, our roundtable explores the political convenience and political gain that drives prohibitionist drug policy and the ‘war on drugs’. Video (7:34).
The unregulated, unlicensed drug market is the purest, most deadly form of capitalism – prioritising profit above all else. It is time for an approach rooted in public health rather than criminal justice. Español
On 19 April, the United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) meets to find a solution to the failed policies of the ‘war on drugs’. Our specialist roundtable discusses why the preparatory negotiations have been riddled with problems. Video (7:17).
