Politics

Expert group publish blueprint for West Africa drug decriminalisation

…a key tenet of the MDL (Model Drug Law) is to end all criminal penalties relating to personal drug use and possession, as such criminalisation causes wide-ranging health problems for people who use drugs – and society more broadly ... Decriminalisation of personal drug possession exists in some form in over a dozen countries and has led to significant success. 

…a range of safeguards must be legislatively entrenched to prevent the human rights abuses that take place under contemporary drug laws across West Africa, and indeed across the world. The MDL notes that all police searches of people for drugs “must be carried out in accordance with the law, and in a manner consistent with the inherent dignity of the person and the right to privacy”, that body searches must be “conducted by an officer of the same sex as the suspect”, and that all data relating to searches must be accurately recorded at the time of the search. The document also stipulates that “Equipment used or suspected of being used in the consumption of drugs is not subject to seizure or destruction merely by reason of it being possessed or supplied for such use”; which would prevent corrupt law enforcement officers misusing drug laws to justify confiscating people’s property.

Original Article (Talking Drugs):
Expert Group Publish Blueprint for West Africa Drug Decriminalisation
Artwork Fair Use: Mobilos

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