The International Guidelines on Human Rights and Drug Policy are a set of guiding principles on the application of international human rights law in relation to drug policy. The Guidelines centralise and reaffirm existing international law and are endorsed by the United Nations Development Programme, the World Health Organisation, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, and the International Centre on Human Rights and Drug Policy at the University of Essex. The Guidelines envision a future where every individual is entitled to dignity and rights regardless of their involvement in illicit drug economies.
Explore the many ways the Guidelines are being implemented across the world and the services, dialogues, events and programmes that are assisting with the understanding and implementation of the Guidelines.
The Guidelines are helping judicial actors strengthen their human rights interpretation of drug-related matters from Constitution courts to magistrates at the municipal level. In a 2019 landmark case, the Constitutional Court of Colombia cited the Guidelines in their decision to halt the use of glyphosate to eradicate drug crops.
Discover how the Guidelines are being used to create positive change at a global, regional, and national level.
