Portugal Leader Urges United Nations to Rethink Drug Enforcement
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has proven to be a consistently rational voice for drug reform, a role he’s undertaken since his tenure as Prime Minister of Portugal when his cabinet decriminalized all drug use in 2000, in favor of rehabilitative policies. So it is no surprise that Guterres, as a speaker during the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, used the opportunity to condemn current drug enforcement policies.
“Millions of people across the world use drugs without posing any harm to others,” Guterres said in a statement for The Independent. “Criminalizing them is unnecessary, it’s harmful, it’s not proportional, and, to us, it undermines the right to privacy and the right to human dignity and personal autonomy.”
Similar sentiments were expressed in a joint statement by the United Nations and the World Health Organization (WHO), on June 30, which called for “ending discrimination in healthcare settings” and “reviewing and repealing punitive laws that have been proven to have negative health outcomes and that counter established public health evidence.”
The “War on Drugs” has, largely, been a disaster wherever it’s implemented. Mexico, for example, declared drug war in 2006. Since then, it has witnessed over 36,000 deaths during efforts to reign in cartels and drug trafficking. And despite efforts, the drug trade has not lost steam. Countries like Mexico, Colombia and Guatemala—historically ravaged by drug-related violence—have used the U.N.’s special session on drugs to advocate for alternative, peaceful solutions.
Guterres ended his remarks by urging the United Nations to follow Portugal’s lead, stating, “I hope and believe we are on the right path, and that together we can implement a coordinated, balanced and comprehensive approach that leads to sustainable solutions. This would be the best possible way to implement the UNGASS recommendations and to have a positive impact on the lives of millions of people around the world.”
