UN Drug control system

Weaknesses in the UN drug control system have often been identified, related to the functioning of the key organs UNODC, INCB, and the CND; related to collaboration with the wider UN system (WHO, UNAIDS, UNDP, etc.) and related to the outdated character of several treaty provisions. What has been attempted to date to achieve more structural reform? Are existing evaluation mechanisms capable of bringing the need for reform to the table? How could a neutral and evidence-based role of UNODC as a centre of expertise be strengthened? How can these issues be related to the UN call for more ‘system-wide coherence’ and ‘delivery as one’?

Immediate release for Martin Barriuso and his two fellow activists

November 2011
Tom Blickman

The arrest of Barriuso and two fellow activists of Pannagh is uncalled for. They should be released immediately.

The urgent next steps in ATS and Harm reduction

November 2011
Tom Blickman

Now is the time to implement low cost and simple harm reduction measures for amphetamine-type stimulant users.

Treaty guardians in distress

July 2011
Martin Jelsma

The guardian of the UN drug control treaties has proved unable to respond in a rational manner to the need for radical reform of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs. 

Global Commission on Drug Policy Chair Responds to Release of UN’s 2011 World Drug Report

June 2011

The Global Commission on Drug Policy calls on the UN to break the taboo on vigorous debate about alternatives to the failed war on drugs.

Global Commission on Drugs Policy calls for an end to the War on Drugs

June 2011
Drugs and Democracy

The Global Commission on Drug Policy report that calls for an end to the "war on drugs" draws on TNI's research and supports many of the recommendations TNI
has been promoting over the years.

Time for a realistic new international drugs framework

March 2011
Tom Blickman

It is time to face up to the fact that the 50 year old 1961 UN drugs convention is obsolete, impossible to amend and has lost its integrity.

Fifty Years of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs: A Reinterpretation

March 2011
Nr. 12 - 
Martin Jelsma
David Bewley-Taylor

Fifty years after its entering into force, it is time for a critical reflection on the validity of the Single Convention today: a reinterpretation of its historical significance and an assessment of its aims, its strengths and its weaknesses.

Lifting the ban on coca chewing

March 2011
Nr. 11 - 
Martin Jelsma

This briefing paper analyses the reasons behind Bolivia’s proposal to remove from the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs the obligation to abolish the practice of coca chewing and the opposing arguments that have been brought forward.

Mixed thoughts about the INCB's latest report

March 2011
Martin Jelsma

The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) just released its annual report. Martin Jelsma - who has followed the Board's policy for many years now with a critical eye - examines its negative stance towards harm reduction and decriminalization, and questions the Board's tendency to overstep its mandate.

Coca leaf: Myths and Reality

February 2011
Tom Blickman

Many myths surround coca. Every day press accounts around the world use the word coca in their headlines, when they refer in fact to cocaine. TNI's Drugs and Democracy Team expose the myths and reality surrounding the coca leaf.