UN attempt to decriminalise drugs foiled
BBC News 20 October 2015
An attempt by UN officials to get countries to decriminalise the possession and use of all drugs has been foiled, the BBC can reveal.
A paper from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has been withdrawn after pressure from at least one country.
The document, which was leaked, recommends that UN members consider “decriminalising drug and possession for personal consumption”.
It argued “arrest and incarceration are disproportionate measures”.
The document was drawn up by Dr Monica Beg, chief of the HIV/AIDs section of the UNODC in Vienna. It was prepared for an international harm reduction conference currently being held in Kuala Lumpur.
The UNODC oversees international drugs conventions and offers guidance on compliance.
Sources within the UNODC have told the BBC the document was never sanctioned by the organisation as policy. One senior figure within the agency described Dr Beg as “a middle-ranking official” who was offering a professional viewpoint.
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-34571609
