Around the world, drug policy is characterized by heavy-handed and punitive law enforcement strategies absent of a public health or human rights framework. These policies have failed to reduce drug use and have exacerbated the spread of HIV and Hepatitis C.
Switzerland took a different approach. By providing drug users with full range of innovative and easy access to services Switzerland is one of the few countries in the world where mortality rate of drug using people is falling.
The Open Society Foundations and the Swiss Press Club invite you to a discussion on the future of global drug policy with a special focus on the Swiss experience.
"From the Mountaintops: What the World Can Learn from Drug Policy Change in Swizterland," a new report by the Open Society Foundations looks at how relying on evidence-based services such as needle exchange programs can lower HIV infection rates, improve health outcomes, and lower crime rates.
This will be the first in a series of reports by the Open Society Foundations that will highlight drug policy reform at the national level; subsequent research will look at Portugal and the Czech Republic.
Download the annoucment of this event (PDF format) |
