Drug Law reform

TNI is deeply concerned that drug laws currently have not only failed to curve expanding drug markets, but have instead led to human rights violations, a crisis in the judicial and penitentiary systems, the consolidation of organized crime, and the marginalization of drug users who are pushed out of reach of the health care systems. TNI and the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) launched a joint Drug Law Reform Project to help stimulate the debate on appropriate legislative reforms by pointing out good practices and lessons learned in areas such as proportionality of sentences, prison reform, and the status of the coca leaf in the international conventions.

Uruguay steps forward with Marijuana legalisation vote

August 2013

The vote by Uruguay’s House of Representatives to legalize and regulate the country’s marijuana market represents a major step forward for the landmark reform effort.

Working towards a legal coca market

July 2013
Nr. 23 - 
Ricardo Abduca

Modern use of the coca leaf in Argentina provides a series of examples that could contribute to dispelling many of the myths that have polarized debate about the subject over the last few years.

Colombian President Santos, OAS Chief Insulza to Present New Study on Drug Policy Alternatives

May 2013

Washington, D.C.—This Friday, May 17, in Bogotá, Colombia, Organization of American States (OAS) Secretary General José Miguel Insulza will present Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos with the outcomes of the hemispheric drug policy review that was mandated by the heads of state at the 2012 Summit of the Americas in Cartagena.

Conviction by Numbers

May 2011
Nr. 14 - 
Genevieve Harris

Threshold quantities (TQs) for drug law and policy are being experimented with across many jurisdictions.

Correcting a historical error

January 2011

In 2009, the Bolivian government requested that the United Nations amend the 1961 UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs. The proposed amendment would remove the unjustified ban on coca leaf chewing while maintaining the strict global control system for coca cultivation and cocaine. The 18-month period to contest Bolivia’s requested amendment ends January 31, 2011.

Drug Policy Reform in Practice

August 2009

The academic journal Nueva Sociedad recently released an issue to promote the debate in Latin America on drug policy reform. TNI contributed with the paper "Drug policy reform in practice: Experiences with alternatives in Europe and the US".