Drug Addiction

Despite U.N. Treaties, War Against Drugs a Losing Battle

By Thalif Deen
As the call for the decriminalisation of drugs steadily picks up steam worldwide, a new study by a British charity concludes there has been no significant reduction in the global use of illicit drugs since the creation of three key U.N. anti-drug conventions, the first of which came into force over half a century ago.

Global Commission Urges Decriminalisation of Drug Use

By Jim Lobe
A top-level international panel called Tuesday for a major shift in global drug-control policies from prohibition to decriminalisation and regulation.

Russia: Critics Continue To Attack “Hypocrisy” Over HIV/AIDS

By Pavol Stracansky
International bodies and local campaign groups have repeatedly criticised Russia for not doing anywhere near enough in terms of providing prevention services or access to medical treatment for HIV/AIDS sufferers. The fourth Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) HIV/AIDS Conference, which finished in Moscow last week, has not put a stop to that criticism.

Heroin Dulls Hardships for Afghan Women

By Giuliana Sgrena
Located on a narrow street in a quiet neighbourhood in Kabul, the Sanga Amaj Women’s Treatment Centre is the only one of its kind in Afghanistan: named after the 22-year-old journalist who was assassinated in 2007, the facility caters exclusively to Kabul’s massive population of female drug addicts.

Unemployed Youth Turn to Drugs

By Tommy Trenchard
The air is heavy with the smell of marijuana as Gibrilla (23) expertly rolls a large joint at the Members of Blood (M.O.B) gang base in a poor neighbourhood of Sierra Leone’s capital, Freetown.


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