Selective Concern: The 2005 Report of the International Narcotics Control Board and the Need for Accountability

In this critique of the 2005 International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) report, Daniel Wolfe, International Harm Reduction Development Program deputy director, and Jonathan Cohen, Law and Health Initiative project director, argue that drug abuse and its harms cannot be solved by law enforcement alone. As a body of experts responsible for monitoring and guiding the global response to illicit drugs, the INCB is obligated to address issues of drug abuse treatment and HIV prevention, and to do so using clear standards of evidence and appropriate criteria for evaluating success or failure. The 2005 report, Wolfe and Cohen write, expresses only selective concern and treats public health as an issue of minor importance.