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Martin Jelsma Associate Researcher

Our people — Associate

Martin Jelsma is a political scientist specialising in Latin America and international drug policy. He worked at the Transnational Institute (TNI) until his retirement in July 2026. In 2005, he received the Alfred R. Lindesmith Award for Achievement in the Field of Scholarship, which described Jelsma as “increasingly recognized as one of, if not the, outstanding strategists in terms of how international institutions deal with drugs and drug policy.”

Martin Jelsma

In 1995, he initiated TNI's Drugs & Democracy Programme and coordinated it until his retirement in July 2026. The programme focuses on drugs and conflict studies, particularly in the Andean/Amazon region, Burma/Myanmar and Afghanistan, as well as on the analysis of and dialogue around international drug policy-making processes, with a particular focus on the UN drug control system. During his time at TNI, Martin was a regular speaker at international policy conferences and advised NGOs and government officials on developments in the drugs field. He was also co-editor of the TNI Drugs & Conflict debate papers and the Drug Policy Briefing series.

Latest work

  • Every step to improve lives is worth fighting for — Martin Jelsma on a 30-year drug policy struggle

    • Drug Law Reform
    • Drugs and Conflict
    • UN Drug Control
    • Coca Leaf
    • War on Drugs

    The global drug control system is under growing pressure, as countries experiment with regulation and long-standing assumptions are being challenged. Martin Jelsma, who is stepping down from the Transnational Institute this year after decades of work, has been at the forefront of these debates. In this interview, we discuss the WHO’s coca review, inter se treaty reform, and what these shifts mean for the future of global drug policy.

    Video by
    Martin Jelsma

  • Crónicas de la Coca: Desenlace del examen crítico de la coca No. #7: El sistema de clasificación de drogas de la ONU en entredicho

    • Hoja de coca
    • Control de drogas de la ONU

    Tras un examen crítico de dos años, la OMS decidió mantener la hoja de coca en la Lista I de la Convención Única de 1961. A pesar de no encontrar evidencia de daños significativos a la salud pública, el Comité de Expertos se basó en una interpretación controvertida del principio de convertibilidad para justificar su recomendación. Esta decisión plantea serias preocupaciones jurídicas, científicas y de derechos humanos, y pone en duda la capacidad del sistema de control de drogas de la ONU para afrontar su legado colonial.

    Longread by
    Martin Jelsma

  • Coca Chronicles: Coca review denouement Issue #7: The UN drug scheduling system in dispute

    • Coca Leaf
    • UN Drug Control

    After a two-year critical review, the WHO has decided to retain the coca leaf in Schedule I of the 1961 Single Convention. Despite finding no evidence of meaningful public health harms, the Expert Committee relied on a controversial interpretation of the ‘convertibility’ principle to justify its recommendation. This decision raises serious legal, scientific and human rights concerns and casts doubt on the UN drug control system’s capacity to confront its colonial legacy.

    Longread by
    Martin Jelsma
See all work by Martin Jelsma