Delegates at an international drug-policy conference in Malaysia yesterday called on the UN drugs agency to officially release a leaked paper detailing an apparent landmark UN recommendation in favor of decriminalization.
British tycoon Richard Branson — a legalization advocate and member of the Global Commission on Drug Policy — caused a stir on Monday when he leaked the document, which proposes decriminalizing drug use and possession “for personal consumption.”
The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) had intended for its paper to be presented this week in Kuala Lumpur, but scrapped those plans and has since claimed it was “not a final document.”
However, more than 500 conference delegates from around the world, including leading medical professionals, researchers, and activists, yesterday held up copies of the two-page document, calling for its recommendations to be adopted.
“The overwhelming support from our delegates today for the UNODC’s drug decriminalization recommendations should embolden them to show brave leadership on this issue, and publish the document in its current form,” said Rick Lines, head of Harm Reduction International, a global non-governmental organization advocating drug-policy reform, which organized the conference.
The UNODC paper said legalizing personal use of now-illicit drugs could reduce the incarceration of millions of people worldwide, who often suffer subsequent judicial and rights abuses in many countries. It also said bringing illegal drug use out of the shadows could help curb the spread of HIV and other health threats and reduce strain on prisons.
However, the UNODC said: “There has been an unfortunate misunderstanding about the nature and intent of this briefing paper.”
It said the paper remained under review and was not “a final nor formal document.”
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