In a blog post published Monday on Virgin.com, British entrepreneur and multi-billionaire Richard Branson claimed the United Nations is about to take a stand against the drug war worldwide:
In an as-yet unreleased statement circulated to the BBC, myself, and others, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which has shaped much of global drug policy for decades, calls on governments around the world to decriminalize drug use and possession for personal consumption for all drugs. This is a refreshing shift that could go a long way to finally end the needless criminalization of millions of drug users around the world. The UNODC document was due to be launched at the International Harm reduction conference in Malaysia yesterday. [Virgin]
A longtime advocate of treating drug addiction as an illness rather than a crime, Branson said that it is "exciting that the UNODC has now unequivocally stated that criminalization is harmful, unnecessary, and disproportionate," but worried that the agency was subject to "an inordinate amount of pressure" from one government in particular that opposes decriminalization.
Branson included a UNODC briefing paper in his post which clearly advocated for recreational decriminalization, but the agency said in a statement that the paper "is neither a final nor formal document from the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, and cannot be read as a statement of UNODC policy." The response also denied Branson's allegation of pressure to retract its decriminalization stance, commenting that "it is not possible to withdraw what is not yet ready."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
-
Mobsters jailed by Giuliani are 'thrilled' with his RICO prosecution. Former fans are sad.Speed Read
-
Police video shows GOP Rep. Ronny Jackson profanely threatening Texas trooper in rodeo altercation
Speed Read
-
Ecuador anti-corruption presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio shot dead before election
Speed Read
-
DOJ investigating alleged racial profiling among Connecticut troopers
Speed Read
-
Police reach potential breakthrough in Tupac Shakur murder case
Speed Read
-
Top suspect in transformative 1982 cyanide-laced Tylenol murders dies uncharged
Speed Read
-
Ex-US gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar reportedly stabbed in prison
Speed Read
-
Ohio residents demand justice after police officer kills family dog
Speed Read
