Over the past decade in Asia, positive measures are outweighed by the brutal violence exacted by drug policies in the region. Reforms are overdue and a timely opportunity to do so lies with #ASEAN as they craft a new work plan on drug issues in 2026: thediplomat.com/2026/02/will...

Facing new political challenges, grassroots campaigners championed creative & local solutions during the #SupportDontPunish 2025 Global Day of Action.

Learn more👉

What to expect from 2026: Defending drug policy reform through dark times As drug policy reform faces renewed repression and securitisation worldwide, 2026 will test whether evidence, human rights and community leadership can still reshape a system under strain — and where the next openings for change may emerge.

At the start of 2026, international drug policy stands at a crossroads. Human rights and health are gaining ground at the UN — yet repression and securitisation are resurging worldwide.

Reform is fragile and urgently needed.

@annfordham.bsky.social for the #IDPCblog.

Graphic that says: Formerly incarcerated people are 10x more likely to experience homelessness than the general population. Homelessness also makes formerly incarcerated people more likely to be arrested & incarcerated again. The increasing criminalization of homelessness does not create safer communities - instead, it creates a revolving door that traps some of the most vulnerable people inside the carceral system.

If the U.S. is serious about ending the housing crisis, it will dismantle the revolving door between incarceration and homelessness.

It's time to put housing first instead of criminalizing vulnerable people for not having access to safe, stable, and affordable housing.

What to expect from 2026: Defending drug policy reform through dark times As drug policy reform faces renewed repression and securitisation worldwide, 2026 will test whether evidence, human rights and community leadership can still reshape a system under strain — and where ...

"Nothing is inevitable, the future is not written, and we are not powerless."
@annfordham.bsky.social @idpc.net on the outlook for #drugpolicy #humanrights and #harmreduction in 2026, despite the darker times we live in. idpc.net/blog/2026/01...

‘Dead’ town: At Kelantan-Thailand border, Malaysia’s drug war unsettles residents, businesses Malaysia is building both walls and bridges along its porous northern border with Thailand, determined to deter rampant smuggling while boosting economic ties. In the first of a two-part series, CNA e...

Demolishing illegal jetties and building a border wall to stop drug smuggling is a classic example of prohibition that damages local livelihoods and culture, w little chance of success 😞 #Malaysia #Thailand www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/malaysi...

The justice system fails to recognise the exploitation faced by many people sentenced to death for drug offences, esp. women in vulnerable situations.

LBHM provides legal assistance and calls for reform of the Narcotics Bill in #Indonesia. Learn more: lbhmasyarakat.org

Criminalising drug use doesn’t make communities safer. It pushes people into unsafe conditions and limits access to healthcare.

CPHI #Nigeria documents the harms of punitive drug laws and shows how health-based approaches can save lives. Learn more: bit.ly/4pr2Oph

Quiet exit, loud problems. Ghada Waly leaves @UNODC facing urgent operational and political challenges.

New leadership must restore the agency's relevance and commit to a rights-based approach.

Our analysis, for #HumanRightsDay: https://f.mtr.cool/qhbyoadhgu

Drug issues are not just about the substance. There is always a human story and many dimensions of human rights impacted by drug policy.

📣 This #HumanRightsDay, join us in calling for drug policies that look #BeyondTheSubstance and that advance #IntersectionalJustice!

[OPINION] As ASEAN drug policy transitions, where will the Philippines stand? The current punitive, prohibitionist drug policies implemented in ASEAN countries have not achieved their ‘drug-free’ goals nor achieved any substantial progress in reducing supply and preventing drug...

#ASEAN needs a shared commitment towards safeguarding and expanding #harmreduction services, supporting people who use drugs, and ultimately fostering healthier and safer communities in the region. @rjnaguit.bsky.social in @rappler.bsky.social
www.rappler.com/voices/thoug...

ICC charges ex-Philippines leader Rodrigo Duterte with murder The former president of the Philippines is accused of being involved in the deaths of dozens of people.

Ex #Philippines President Duterte is charged with crimes against humanity by the ICC for state-sponsored killings during his "war on drugs." Good to see an end to impunity for the murders, that still happen regularly around the world. www.bbc.com/news/article...

ASEAN ministers are meeting this week to discuss the future of the region's drug policies. As #Singapore announced plans to execute more people, the region must change the course of its drug policies. See the civil society submission with recommendations: idpc.net/publications...

It has been a harrowing decade for #drugpolicy in #ASEAN: 30,000 people killed in the #Philippines, overcrowded prisons, abusive #drugrehab and executions. As ministers gather next week, we hope they agree to improving the health and human rights of all.

www.bangkokpost.com/.../an-asean....

Singapore proposes Asean joint statement to reaffirm commitment towards a drug-free region The statement will also express “concern about increasingly permissive attitudes towards drugs”, says Shanmugam. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

#ASEAN has pledged to make the region drug-free since 1998. But the supply and demand for drugs have only increased since then. It's time for #drugpolicy reform not more of the same that is wasting so much resources and causing #humanrights violations www.straitstimes.com/singapore/si...

#SriLanka should learn from countries such as Thailand (idpc.net/publications...) that imprisoning people for using drugs, and detaining them in so-called drug rehabilitation programmes, leads to only negative outcomes www.dailymirror.lk/breaking-new...

Thailand's 'weed wild west' faces new rules as smuggling to UK rises A number of British travellers have been arrested and prices have collapsed due to overproduction.

#Thailand imposes a prescription-only model of sale for #cannabis, with the threat of recriminalisation still in the air, due more to politics than any thorough assessment of the impacts of legalisation in the past 3 years. www.bbc.com/news/article...

Police laud Thaksin's anti-drugs plan The government and Royal Thai Police (RTP) have welcomed former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's proposed strategy to combat drug problems, which includes regional diplomacy and a reallocation of t...

#Thailand: former PM Thaksin's increasing intervention in #drugpolicy bring back haunting memories of a drug war that killed over 2,400 people during his govt in 2003. May we never forget, never repeat. www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/gen...

CND68 and drug policy reform: Unpacking key implications Join us for a debrief session on the 68th session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) to discuss progress, gridlocks and potential ways forward for the UN drug control regime.

#CND68 shook the foundations of intn'l drug policy:
🗳️ Unprecedented voting & dissensus.
🌐 New global alliances.
🔄 Mandate for independent review.

Join an amazing panel unpacking it all:
🗓️ Tuesday, 22 April 2025
🕐 13:00–14:30 (London)

REGISTER: idpc.net/events/2025/...

Duterte arrest inspires continuing drive for humane approach to anti-drug campaign The Global Commission on Drug Policy: We urge governments worldwide to reflect on the lessons from the Philippines and reject policies that prioritize punishment over progress.

After Duterte's arrest, one of the major next steps needed is to revise the drug law (RA 9165) that helped make the killings and other violations possible, which continue today: verafiles.org/articles/dut...

Response to Anil Nayar, Singapore’s High Commissioner to Australia — Capital Punishment Justice Project CPJP Ambassador Hon. Lex Lasry AM KC responds to an opinion piece by Anil Nayar, Singapore’s High Commissioner to Australia.

"The death penalty remains a cruel and barbaric punishment on offenders and their families for no societal gain." - Lex Lasry on Singapore's ongoing defence of executing people convicted of drug trafficking. #AbolishtheDeathPenalty www.cpjp.org.au/news/opinion...

Japan: 'Record' payout for world's longest-serving death row inmate Nearly 50 years on death row had inflicted "extremely severe" mental and physical pain on Iwao Hakamata, a judge said.

It's not possible to put a dollar value on being held on death row for 47 years, for a crime you did not commit. The US$1.45M compensation will hopefully help Iwao live out the rest of his days in peace and comfort. #AbolishtheDeathPenalty www.bbc.com/news/article...

CND68: Historic vote initiates overdue review of UN drug control “machinery” Against a backdrop of global turmoil and multilateral rupture, the 68th session of the CND marked a turning point in the history of global drug policy by deciding to create a panel of independent expe...

#CND68 #CND2025 makes a turning point in history by deciding to create a panel of independent experts to review the global drug policy 'machinery'. Read our analysis of what this truly means!

🚨 🇺🇳 🌱🗳️ A #CND68 like no other ended a week ago. New political alliances are reshaping global #DrugPolicy and, for the 1st time, an independent review of the drug control machinery was agreed.

What does this mean? What comes next? Our key takeaways: idpc.net/blog/2025/03...

Activist Judy Chang Talks Narcofeminism and Drug-User Rights For years, Judy Chang has been a leader in the movement for drug-user rights. Since 2017, she’s served as executive ...

“Trying drugs, and pursuing pleasure... is a feminist act."

Judy Chang has led @inpud.bsky.social since 2017, and been at the forefront of the narcofeminist movement. As she prepares for a new role, she discusses achievements and challenges ahead with @carrielouhamilton.bsky.social: