Some of you may have seen Johann Hari's TED talk. If you haven't please do. While Hari seems to simplify some of the complexities of drug use and "addiction" he is able to make some essential concepts accessible to many of us. It's certainly worth a watch....

Transform Drug Policy Foundation is a charitable think tank that actively seeks the legal regulation of drugs in the UK and internationally. They have joined with other organisations to raise funds to have families who have lost members to the war on drugs attend the UNGASS in New York next year. They have launched a crowd funding campaign for this purpose, which can be found here.

Many of us believe that drugs are the problem, however Transform reframes the debate, saying that current drug policies are far more dangerous than the drugs themselves. Here is the video produced in support of the campaign:

In advance of the UNGASS, the Open Society Foundations has produced this video to encourage people to think more about their drug policies. This video stresses that each country has different contexts and different needs. In South Africa we have to critically examine our drug policies and recognise that we need to make changes if we want different results. Watch the video and let us know what you think.

UNAIDS has released a very progressive reference document ahead of the UNGASS2016. Entitled "A public health and rights approach to drugs", the document lists five policy recommendations and ten operational recommendations. The wording avoids the usual dichotomous thinking by saying that people should be treated with "support and care, rather than punishment." It also calls for the adaption of laws "to ensure that people who use drugs do not face punitive sanctions.." thereby avoiding the word "decriminalisation" while clearly supporting such initiatives. You can download the PDF of the document below.