Despite the wide range of documented human rights abuses related to the global fight against drugs, human rights have traditionally been absent in international drug control efforts and are often considered a nuisance by governments and UN drug control agencies. This article argues that human rights abuses in the pursuit of the ‘war on drugs’ are a concern not only for states but also for the international drug control system itself, which is out-dated and, in its aims and operations, often hinders critical debate and exacerbates the risk of rights abuses in the name of drug policy. This article suggests some ‘top-down’ avenues for addressing this dilemma, and also stresses the need for ‘bottom-up’ advocacy, in order to reform the international drug control system into one which takes human rights concerns seriously.
Citation: Damon Barrett, ‘Reflections on Human Rights and Drug Control’ in Governing the Global Drug Wars (LSE Ideas, 2012)