Drug Policy Reform

Drug policies based on prohibition have fueled violence and corruption, often with devastating impacts on the health and well-being of drug users and the wider community. The Open Society Foundations support groups that put forward alternatives.

Drug Policy

Three Decades of Drug Policy Reform Work

People wearing ATITUDE T-shirts smiling with a man

Over the past 30 years, Open Society has been the largest philanthropic supporter of efforts to reform drug policy and promote harm reduction around the world. This is a timeline of the Foundations’ pathbreaking work.

November 16, 2021

WAR IS OVER?

How the United States Fueled a Global Drug War, and Why It Must End

As U.S. domestic drug policy reform gains momentum, it is time the United States makes a concerted effort to de-escalate the failed war on drugs elsewhere.

June 29, 2021 | Ann Fordham

In Their Own Words

Farmers in Myanmar Call for Justice

A new report, produced by opium farmers themselves, highlights the urgent need to reform an antidrug policy regime that all too often leaves families vulnerable to coercion, corruption, and brutal exploitation.

September 28, 2020 | Karyn Kaplan & Khine Su Win

Public Health First

Incarceration Should Not Be a Death Sentence

Despite earlier promises to fight the spread of COVID-19 by reducing the number of nonviolent offenders in jails and prisons, governments worldwide are dragging their feet and prioritizing the drug war ahead of public health.

July 21, 2020 | Giada Girelli

Event Recap

How Authoritarianism Fuels the War on Drugs

Screen shot of four people in a Zoom meeting

While the world’s attention has shifted to the COVID-19 pandemic, the harms and injustices of the “war on drugs” are not only continuing; they’re being intensified. What can civil society reformers do in response?

July 7, 2020

EVENT RECAP

How Can We Help the Children of Incarcerated Parents?

Some of the most neglected victims of the war on drugs are the families and children of those who are incarcerated because of nonviolent drug offenses. A new report outlines the problem and presents research-driven solutions.

March 3, 2020

Rural Rights

Broken Promises in Colombia's Coca Fields

A program to help coca growers find new legal ways to make a living has largely failed to deliver. Disillusioned farmers now need the government to hold up its end of the bargain.

October 23, 2019 | Sophia Sadinsky & Ramón Campos Iriarte

Racial Injustice

The Uncounted Victims of the War on Drugs

It’s time for policymakers, civil society, and the public at large to have a serious conversation about the racialization of antidrug policy. Getting reliable data is a crucial first step.

October 8, 2019 | Mame Bougouma Diene & Simon Woolley

View more posts

Subscribe to updates about Open Society’s work around the world

By entering your email address and clicking “Submit,” you agree to receive updates from the Open Society Foundations about our work. To learn more about how we use and protect your personal data, please view our privacy policy.