Brief to the Canadian delegation to the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) from Canadian Drug Policy Coalition and the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network
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Prior to the 57th Session of the CND in Vienna in March 2014, we submitted this brief to the Canadian delegation, urging the delegation members to emphasize the following points in their discussions with other Member States:
1. Encourage all countries to adopt a comprehensive public health approach to substance use including decriminalization.
2. Support countries’ flexibility to experiment with alternative, health-oriented approaches to drug policy.
3. Respect, protect and promote human rights (in particular voicing objection to torture at drug detention centres, and opposing the death penalty for drug crimes)
4. Ensure full access to essential medicines
5. Promote the full engagement of civil society in drug policy discussions
6. Question the usefulness of the language of striving for a “drug-free world”
7. Recognize the unique mandate given to the WHO under the 1961 and 1971 Conventions to provide recommendations for scheduling substances.