Global drug policy at an impasse: Examining the politics of the 2016 United Nations General Assembly Special Session.

BACKGROUND: The 2016 United Nations General Assembly's Special Session on the World Drug Problem (UNGASS) was a 'critical moment' in recent global drug policy history. METHODS: This study examines the dynamics and consequences of UNGASS 2016 using documentary analysis and interviews with ten leading international drug reform experts. RESULTS: International consensus relating to the global drug problem remains heavily fractured. This is evident from: the increasingly diverse positions adopted by Member States during the negotiation period leading up to UNGASS; conflicting agendas within and between different United Nations agencies; and the content of the UNGASS Outcome Document. Our interviews further revealed key obstacles facing the international drug policy reform community following this event. CONCLUSION: Global governance in the sphere of drug policy has reached an impasse but this should have limited impact on the ongoing efforts of reformers to shift the debate so long as civil society actors have access to funding and opportunities to participate in key future global drug policy events.

Secondary harm mitigation: A more humanitarian framework for international drug law enforcement.

This article introduces the concept of 'secondary harm mitigation' as a framework for improving the humanitarian credentials of international drug law enforcement agencies. The concept is rooted in a critical analysis of the compatibility of the harm reduction philosophy with Australia's international drug law enforcement practices. On a utilitarian level, the net benefits of international drug law enforcement are determined to be, at best inconclusive, arguably counterproductive and in most cases, incalculable. On a humanitarian level, international drug law enforcement is also determined to be problematic from a criminological standpoint because it generates secondary harms and it is indifferent to the vulnerability of individuals who participate in illicit drug trafficking. Accordingly, the article concludes that a philosophy of harm reduction grounded in the public health perspective is inadequate for mitigating secondary harms arising from Australia's efforts to combat international illicit drug trafficking. A tentative list of secondary harm mitigation principles is presented and the article argues that secondary harm mitigation should replace supply reduction as a core tenet of Australia's National Drug Strategy. The article also concludes that secondary harm mitigation may provide a viable framework for stimulating a productive dialogue between those who advocate prohibition and those who call for decriminalisation at the global level.