UN Debates on Drugs: 'There Must Be No New Thinking and No New Ideas' Ann Fordham - The Huffington Post
go to original April 1, 2015

The United Nations' drug conventions were recently discussed in Vienna by the Commission on Drugs and Crime. The results of this convention make it clear that, with regards to international laws regarding cannabis, the United Nations commission on drugs and crime is way behind despite a world-wide shift forwards. (Cannabis News Network)

"There must be no new thinking and no new ideas."

The statement above is not necessarily one that you might expect from an intergovernmental forum on a hot topic of international policy - except perhaps when that policy is about drugs. This statement sadly, but also neatly, encapsulates the sense of frustration that I can often feel at the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) - the annual meeting of the UN on all matters related to drug control, which took place last month in Vienna.

A lot happens at the CND, and there were many highlights from this year's meeting - not least the strong presence and engagement of civil society and young people. But the deeply entrenched positions of certain governments when it comes to drug policy continues to stagnate the debate - aided and abetted by the CND's insistence on all decisions being made by consensus.

The statement above was made by a government official with specific reference to an important global meeting when world leaders will come together to discuss the future of drug control at the United Nations - the upcoming UN General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on drugs in April 2016. The same meeting that Mr Ban Ki Moon, the UN Secretary General, referred to as an opportunity "to conduct a wide-ranging and open debate that considers all options".

There are a number of governments that also genuinely want an honest and meaningful discussion next April - most notably Mexico, a country that has perhaps most acutely felt the pain of the war on drugs. Some want to talk about new approaches and new options. But it is clear that they face fierce opposition from hardline, prohibitionist countries who want to limit the discussions and drown out progressive voices with UN bureaucracy and procedure.

Read the rest at The Huffington Post

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