The Drug Policy Committee of the NLG signed on to this statement to the United Nations by the Ad Hoc US Coalition for Global Drug Policy Reform. Ahead of the April 2016 UN General Assembly Special session on Drugs (UNGASS), it argues that in cases of irreconcilable conflict, nations’ obligations under the human rights treaties, which are enshrined as fundamental in the United Nations Charter, take precedence over provisions of the drug control treaties. The statement calls for a range of improvements to policies; for the UN to appoint a “Committee of Experts” to study the topic of drug treaty reform; and calls on the Obama administration to harmonize its foreign policy on drugs with its domestic policies by providing leadership at the UN to make that happen.
The Drug Policy Committee (DPC) of the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) opposes the harms of America’s War on Drugs, and advocates for policies that reduce those harms. We are lawyers, law students, and legal workers. We seek to educate ourselves and the public about drug policy issues and policy alternatives.
