Beyond punishment: From criminal justice responses to drug policy reform
Beyond punishment: From criminal justice responses to drug policy reform
The Global Commission on Drug Policy’s report, Beyond Punishment: From Criminal Justice Responses to Drug Policy Reform, exposes how punitive drug policies have driven mass incarceration and grave human rights violations. In 2023 alone, over 3.1 million people were arrested for drug-related offenses, with 20% of the global prison population detained for such crimes - nearly half for simple possession.
The report underscores the devastating consequences of prohibitionist policies, including over one million overdose deaths in the U.S. in the past two decades and 40,000 in Canada in just eight years. It also highlights systemic inequities, such as Indigenous peoples in Canada being six times more likely to face drug-related arrests than white counterparts. Furthermore, the report illustrates the disproportionate burdens on women and children, deepening cycles of poverty and marginalization. (The Global Commission on Drug Policy, Genf, Dezember 2024)
https://www.globalcommissionondrugs.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/241127-GCDP_Report2024_EN.pdf