Drug Control, Human Rights, and the Right to the Highest Attainable Standard of Health: By No Means Straightforward Issues, Saul Takahashi (2009)

Date: 05 August 2009

Abstract

There has been increasing attention to the importance of respecting the human rights of addicts with regard to illicit drug trafficking and abuse. The debate is multifaceted, encompassing issues involving drug control as it relates to criminal justice, the death penalty, mandated treatment, and, most prominently, the right to the highest attainable standard of health. This article addresses each of these issues, focusing on the right to the highest attainable standard of health, including the ongoing international debate surrounding controversial “harm reduction” measures. The applicability of this right to drug control is not as straightforward as is often presented, and some of the arguments put forward come dangerously close to stating that there is a “right to abuse drugs,” which the author disputes.

Citation: Saul Takahashi. 'Drug Control, Human Rights, and the Right to the Highest Attainable Standard of Health: By No Means Straightforward Issues' (Human Rights Quarterly – Volume 31, Number 3, August 2009, pp. 748-776)

http://muse.jhu.edu/login?uri=/journals/human_rights_quarterly/v031/31.3.takahashi.pdf