As « a global leader in the fight against illicit drugs and international crime », UNODC blocks actions of prevention and harm reduction. Act Up-Paris and other activists protested about the consequences of its criminal deadly policy : stigmatizations, emprisonment, repression. Leading to a lack of prevention and treatment, new contaminations and deathes. UNODC must stop the war on drugs.
UNODC has a criminal policy against drug users. It’s only been two months since the UNODC first started recognizing harm reduction as an effective way to reduce new HIV and HCV infections.
You deny us the right to live our life like we choose, access to care, opiate substitue treatments, needle exchange programs. You deny us access to ARV. Drug users and harm reduction experts all agree : the criminalisation of drug users postpones or prevents access to care. The criminalisation is an excuse for a lot of countries to prohibit opiate substitute treatments and needle exchange programs to their citizens. The criminalisation renforces stigma and forbids us the rights to access ARV.
The criminalisation of drug users is not science-based. Alcohol and tabacco are some of the most addictive drugs, yet are allowed in most countries.
The governments fund $100.000.000.000 every year in the war against drug users for absolutely no results. The HIV and HCV infections do not decrease. The overdoses do not decrease. Drug use does not decrease. Drug crimes do not decrease. Drug traffic does not decrese. The drug money is still injected in the economy.
For our governements, we are in a financial crisis. If they need money, they have to stop the war against drug users and fund harm reduction programs. Harm reduction is effective. Harm reduction decreases HIV and HCV infections, overdoses, drug crimes and drug consumption Harm reduction increases the health of the drug users and drug compliance.
We want the governments stop this war against the drug users and invest the money in needle exchange programs, OST programs, ARV programs, and needle exchange programs in prison… We want drugs policies to be science-based. We want harm reduction!
We want United Nation Office on Drugs and Crimes to support and sign Vienna declaration.
