Drug Policy And Efforts Of Control Substance Abuse

Drug policy and efforts to control substance abuse have resulted in human rights violations in many countries. 27 million people were problem drug users in 2013 (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2013), representing a â€Å"vulnerable and marginalised group† (Petty, 2012). The need for human rights to be at the forefront of any debate, policy or legislation regarding the ‘war on drugs’ is heightened by human rights abuses resulting from such action – namely â€Å"torture and ill-treatment by police, extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detention, and denial of essential medicines and basic health services† (Human Rights Watch, 2009). The term ‘drug user’ can be interpreted in the context of law, culture and science, making the enactment of effective, harm-preventative legislation difficult. However, evidence of a lack of acknowledgement of fundamental human rights in drug reform has lead to such rights violations, often stemming fro m the belief that drug addicts are incapable of â€Å"self-governance and determination†¦ extreme measurers are necessary to save them from themselves† (Petty, 2012). This essay will discuss human rights theories and mechanisms in relation to drug reform and its associated violations of human rights. The right to life, liberty, and health and equality before the law, as addressed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), are perhaps the most fundamental rights that have been compromised by drug policy and reform. 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