International Drugs Policy And Support For Victims Of Torture

EDM number 188 in 2015-16, proposed by Ann Clwyd on 24/06/2015.
Categorised under the topics of Drugs misuse, Human rights and International politics and government.

That this House welcomes the third global day of action for the Support Don't Punish campaign, to highlight the harms caused by the war on drugs; further welcomes the international day in support of victims of torture; notes that both events take place on 26 June 2015 and that both issues are interlinked; expresses concern that Government funding is being channelled into aggressive anti-narcotics programmes overseas which lead to violations of international human rights law, including torture and use of the death penalty for drugs offences; further notes that the threat posed by drugs and the drugs trade can be used by governments to attempt to justify grievous abuses of human rights; further notes that punitive approaches towards drug users, particularly compulsory treatment programmes, sometimes amount to degrading treatment and torture; and calls on the Government to ensure that its funding for anti-narcotics programmes overseas does not contribute to human rights abuses such as torture being committed, that at least 10 per cent of its budget for anti-narcotics programmes should be re-directed towards harm reduction, and that it continues to play a positive role in the run-up to and during the 2016 UN General Assembly special session on drugs.

This motion has been signed by a total of 28 MPs.