Leaked drug decriminalisation briefing does not represent UNODC policy

A leaked UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) document which called on member states to consider “decriminalising drug use and possession for personal consumption” does not represent UNODC policy, the UN office has clarified.

The two-page briefing paper was solely intended for “dissemination and discussion” at an international harm reduction conference in Kuala Lumpur, it said.

The paper, written by Dr Monica Beg, chief of the HIV/AIDS section of the UNODC in Vienna, is “neither a final nor formal document from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, and cannot be read as a statement of UNODC policy”.

The controversial briefing states: “The international drug control conventions do not impose on Member States obligations to criminalise drug use and possession for personal consumption.

“Member States should consider the implementation of measures to promote the right to health and to reduce prison over-crowding, including by decriminalising drug use and possession for personal consumption.”

It is suggested that member states could ensure “that their existing legislation, policies and enforcement practices are up-to-date with respect to scientific evidence on drug use, drug dependence, HIV and conform to international human rights obligations”.

The paper had been welcomed by campaigners for drug law reform in the UK and abroad.

Sir Richard Branson, who sits on the Global Commission On Drugs Policy, published a blog post immediately after the briefing was leaked.

He wrote: “It’s exciting that the UNODC has now unequivocally stated that criminalisation is harmful, unnecessary and disproportionate, echoing concerns about the immense human and economic costs of current drug policies voiced earlier by UNAIDS, the World Health Organisation, UNDP, The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Women, Kofi Annan and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.”

Sir Richard has since added: “I hope that will remain strong in defending and implementing what is a remarkable statement.”

In a statement to BBC News, the Home Office said decriminalisation “neither addresses the risk factors which lead individuals to misuse drugs or alcohol, nor the misery, cost and lost opportunities that dependence causes individuals, their families and the wider community”.