Challenging the Current State of Drug Policy
The overall aim of this project is to influence the governments of the Caribbean to adopt a more humanitarian and public health approach to their current national drug policy and for Caribbean countries, and in particular, the Caribbean members of the CND, to support this humanitarian drug policy at the March 2009 UN High Level Meeting.
It is envisaged that this engagement will result in Caribbean governments being more supportive of a harm reduction approach to drug policy during the High Level Meeting and the CND. The major stress in the project falls on encouraging prison reform, such as alternative sentencing for drug users and promoting harm reduction as a pillar of governmental drugs policy. A two-pronged method of intervention is planned: to increase local NGO knowledge on drug policy to pressure governments for reform, and to directly educate decision makers to adopt a more humanitarian drug policy.