A DRUG POLICY ALLIANCE RELEASE DRUGPOLICY.ORG/UNGASS2016 APRIL 20, 2016 Leaders from Around the World Call on A growing number of city, state and nation- al governments no longer treat drug use and UN to End the Drug War possession as crimes. Some are beginning to legally regulate cannabis for medical and even MR. BAN KI-MOON, SECRETARY GENERAL laws, agencies and attitudes impeded harm re- non-medical purposes. Many more recognize UNITED NATIONS duction and other effective health policies. the need to make essential medicines readily Humankind cannot afford a 21st century available, especially for pain and palliative care Dear Secretary General, drug policy as ineffective and counter-produc- in lower income countries. But far greater and With the United Nations General Assem- tive as the last century’s. A new global response more systemic reforms are essential. bly Special Session on the World Drug Problem to drugs is needed, grounded in science, com- We were encouraged last year, Mr. Secre- (UNGASS) fast approaching in New York, we passion, health and human rights. tary General, when you urged governments seek your enlightened leadership in calling for The role of crimi- reform of global drug control policies. nalization and criminal The drug control regime that emerged justice must be limited to “ Humankind cannot afford during the last century has proven disastrous the extent truly required for global health, security and human rights. Fo- to protect health and a 21st century drug policy as cused overwhelmingly on criminalization and safety. Leadership must punishment, it created a vast illicit market that come from those who ineffective and counter- has enriched criminal organizations, corrupted recognize that psycho- governments, triggered explosive violence, dis- active drug use is first productive as the last century’s.” torted economic markets and undermined basic and foremost a matter moral values. of health. Drug control Governments devoted disproportionate re- efforts must never do more harm than good, or to use the UNGASS opportunity “to conduct a sources to repression at the expense of efforts cause more harm than drug misuse itself. wide-ranging and open debate that considers to better the human condition. Tens of millions We are heartened by positive develop- all options.” This, by and large, has not hap- of people, mostly poor and racial and ethnic mi- ments around the world since the United pened – at least within the confines of the United norities, were incarcerated, mostly for low-level Nations last convened a special session in 1998. Nations. Your leadership is now required to en- and non-violent drug law violations, with little if Evidence-based harm reduction programs to sure that the seeds of reform are nourished, not any benefit to public security. Problematic drug contain the spread of HIV/AIDS and other in- discarded, and that the stage is set for real re- use and HIV/AIDS, hepatitis and other infec- fectious diseases, treat addiction and reduce form of global drug control policy. tious diseases spread rapidly as prohibitionist drug-related criminality are now underway in almost one hundred countries. Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Gordon Bajnai, Former Prime Aleksander Kwaśniewski, Nick Clegg, Former Deputy Bill Richardson, Former John Legend, Singer Former President of Brazil Minister of Hungary Former President of Poland Prime Minister of the UK Governor, New Mexico Michael Douglas, Actor Ernesto Zedillo, Former Ricardo Lagos, Former George Shultz, Former US Sir Richard Branson, Founder Peter Shumlin, Governor, President of Mexico President of Chile Secretary of State; Treasury; of the Virgin Group Vermont Gael Garcia Bernal, Actor; and Labor Director Vicente Fox, Former Pedro Pires, Former Bernie Sanders, U.S. Senator Shashi Tharoor, Former President of Mexico President of Cape Verde Paul Volcker, Former Under-Secretary General, Jane Fonda, Actor Elizabeth Warren, Chairman of the US Federal United Nations Carly Simon, Singer Olusegun Obasanjo, Former George Papandreou, Former Reserve U.S. Senator President of Nigeria Prime Minister of Greece Mo Ibrahim, Businessman Tom Brady, Quarterback, George Soros, Philanthropist Cory Booker, U.S. Senator César Gaviria Trujillo, Former Ruth Dreifuss, Former Sting, Musician New England Patriots, NFL President of Colombia President of Switzerland Warren Buffett, Bob Kerrey, Former Businessman; Philanthropist U.S. Senator Peter Gabriel, Musician Institutional affiliations and titles are included solely for identification purposes and should not be understood as indicating the respective organization’s agreement with the content of this letter. 2 SIGNATORIES Institutional affiliations and titles are included solely for identification purposes and should not be understood as indicating the respective organization’s agreement with the content of this letter. AFRICA Sam Manteaw, Lawyer; Ramon M. de Vera, Dean Agnes Mejia, Dean, Stephen Lewis, Former UN Norman Baker, Former Emma Bonino, Former Bernt Johan Collet, Former Abdalla Ahmed, Vice Lecturer, University of Member, Board of Trustees, University of the Philippines Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS Drugs Minister, United Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Defence, Chairman, Kenya Harm Ghana, Legon, Ghana Philippine Science High College of Medicine, in Africa, Canada Kingdom, UK Italy; Former European Denmark; Founder, Center Reduction Network, Kenya Bronwyn Myers, Chief School System, Philippines Philippines Donald Macpherson, Baroness Joan Bakewell, Commissioner for Health for Political Studies, Specialist Scientist, Alcohol Maria Teresa V. de Vera, Supatra Nacapew, Executive Director, Peer, House of Lords, UK and Consumer Protection, Denmark Richard Amenyah, UNAIDS Italy Regional Office, West Tobacco and Other Drug Graduate of Masters in Executive Director, Canadian Drug Policy Marek Balicki, Former Marc Comina, and Central Africa, Dakar, Research Unit, South Business Management, Foundation of AIDS Rights; Coalition, Minister of Health, Poland; Ben Bowling, Professor, Director, Marc Comina Senegal African Medical Research Philippines Member, National AIDS Gabor Maté, Doctor; Former Member, Polish King’s College London, UK Communication, Council, South Africa Committee - Subcommittee Switzerland Calleb Angira, Chairman, Patrick M. Deakin, Author, Canada Parliament and Senate, Sam Bowman, Executive Olusegun Obasanjo, Former President, Lifeline Rescue, on Rights Promotion and Poland Director, Adam Smith Paul Conlon, CEO, Aiséirí Kenya Harm Reduction Protection, Thailand Julio Montaner, Director, Network, Kenya President, Nigeria, Nigeria Philippines British Columbia Centre Silvio Ballinari, Pharmacist, Institute, UK addiction treatment service, Kasthuriraani Patto, Ireland Kwesi Aning, Head of Isidore Obot, Professor James Deakin, TV for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Bern, Switzerland Tom Brake, Member and Head, Department of Host, CNN Philippines, Member of Parliament, Canada of Parliament, Liberal Caroline Coon, Artist; Research Department, Malaysia Flemming Balvig, Professor Kofi Annan International Psychology, University of Philippines Philip Owen, Former Mayor, Emeritus, Faculty of Law, Democrats, UK Writer, UK Peacekeeping Centre, Uyo, Nigeria Edgar Michael T. Eufemio, Praphan Phanuphak, Co- Vancouver, Canada University of Copenhagen, Edgardo Brambilla, Former Anton Corbijn, Ghana Adeolu Ogunrombi, Former President, ASEAN Founder, Thai Red Cross Denmark Associate Director, Nestec, Photographer; Filmmaker, AIDS Research Centre, John Polanyi, Nobel Prize in Paschal B. Atengdem, Director, Youth RISE- Society of Sports Medicine Chemistry, 1986, Canada Alexander Bard, Nestlé, Switzerland Netherlands Nigeria, Nigeria & Arthroscopy; Former Thailand Faculty Member, University Gregor Robertson, Mayor, Philosopher; Writer, Richard Branson, Jean-Pierre Couteron, of Ghana, Legon, Ghana Joseph Osafo, Senior President, Orthopedic Rene A. V. Saguisag, Sweden Entrepreneur; Founder, Chairman, Federation Society for Sports Lawyer; Former Senator; Vancouver, Canada Emmanuel Morgan Attuah, Lecturer, University of Massimo Barra, Founder, Virgin Group; Co-founder, Addiction, France Ghana, Legon, Ghana Medicine, Philippines Professor, San Beda Joel Solomon, President, The Elders, UK Senior Lecturer, University College, Philippines Renewal Partners; Villa Maraini, Rome; Former Sir Clive Cowdery, of Ghana, Legon, Ghana Eric Osei-Assibey, Senior Ma. Inez Feria, Founder and President, Italian Red Cross, Rudolf Brenneisen, Philanthropist; Founder, Executive Director, NoBox Charles Santiago, Chairman, Renewal Funds, Peter Atupare, Lecturer, Lecturer, University of Canada Italy Professor of Pharmacology, Resolution Foundation, UK Ghana, Legon, Ghana Transitions Foundation, Chairman, ASEAN Department of Clinical University of Ghana, Legon, Philippines Parliamentarians for Sam Sullivan, Former Elisabeth Baume-Schneider, Frances Crook, Chief Ghana Charles Parry, Director, Director, Higher School for Research, University of Executive, The Howard Rap Fernandez, Actor; Human Rights, Malaysia Mayor, Vancouver; Bern, Switzerland Abdul Baasit, Lecturer, Alcohol, Tobacco and Other President, Global Civic Social Work, Switzerland League for Penal Reform, Drug Research Unit, South Documentary Film Paul Anantharajah Barbara Broers, Professor UK University of Ghana, Legon, Producer, Philippines Tambyah, Professor Policy Society, Canada István Bayer, Former Ghana African Medical Research director, National Institute of Medicine, Univesity of Peter Curman,