Global Commission on Drug Policy

Created in 2011 by former Heads of State and government of the Americas and Europe with the aim of catalyzing an honest and realistic debate on drugs, the Global Commission on Drug Policy gathers twenty-nine global leaders working to inspire better drug policy globally based on scientific evidence and human rights. The commission has continued to evolve, bringing in former heads of states, Nobel Prize winners and other influential global leaders to lend their voices, political and social influence, to raise awareness on drug policy and advocate for evidence-, scientific- and human rights- based drug policy reform. Capitalizing on their diverse geographic representation and knowledge, they aim to raise awareness on the failure of the current drug control regime and promote effective policies. At the international level, Commissioners act as global ambassadors for drug policy reform. At regional, national and local levels, they tailor their actions to the context capitalizing on their diverse geographic representation and knowledge. There are currently four regional commissions: The Latin America Commission On Drugs and Democracy (LACDD) The West Africa Commission On Drugs (WACD) The Eastern and Central European, and Central Asian Commission On Drug Policy (ECECACD) Eastern and Southern Africa Commission on Drugs (ESACD) The goal is to achieve a profound reform of the drug control system in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals. Over the past decade, the Global Commission has produced publications which lay down a solid basis of knowledge and evidence-based recommendations, while noting the existing and forthcoming challenges. To date, no country has come up with a fully satisfactory set of policies. Polarization between legalization and prohibition blocks the debate. In many countries repressive policies remain firmly in place, hence the need to engage key actors in a constructive debate about viable alternatives.