Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) Drug Policy Project
Using the window of opportunity afforded by the U.S. elections, this project aims to soften, or put an end to, hard-line international drug policies propagated by the United States. In the short term, it will strive to persuade the U.S. government from obstructing reform proposals by other nations and create the political space so that global civil society can have more traction.
The project also will prepare the NGO community and educate international policymakers about the upcoming UNGASS and connected issues; conduct a joint aerial fumigation monitoring project and education initiative against the U.S. funded aerial fumigation program in Colombia with a view to preventing such a program from being implemented in Afghanistan; complete a blueprint for how elected officials can vote more honestly about controversial issues (e.g. drug reform) without exposing themselves to excessive political risk; monitor developments in international drug policy and respond to targets of opportunity.
The project's outcomes include several Congressional briefings, informing policymakers of developments pertaining to UNGASS, an expanded article on how elected officials can work on controversial issues while minimizing political risk, and a multimedia documentation on the effects of fumigation.