mobilize -- President Obama: Harm reduction saves lives!

Action Alert


	President Obama: Harm reduction saves lives!

In March of 2009, the United Nations passed a political declaration and action plan that will guide global drug policy for the next ten years... but it included no mention of harm reduction (policies and practices that reduce the harm associated with drugs, without condemning or condoning use).

While most countries chose to remain silent on the issue, a handful chose to speak up and denounce support for harm reduction. These included Russia, Cuba, Pakistan… and the United States!

Please send a letter to President Obama urging him to support the inclusion of the term “harm reduction” and related practices in future United Nations deliberations.

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Barack Obama (D), President

Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State, Secretary

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As you are aware, last week in Vienna the United Nations Committee on Narcotic Drugs approved a political declaration and action plan that will guide the world’s drug policies for the next decade.

I would first like to thank you for breaking with decades of tradition by American diplomats by supporting the inclusion of public health approaches to drug policy such as needle exchange programs and methadone maintenance.  Because global drug treaties are particularly important in the developing world, these programs will save tens of thousands of lives around the world.

However, I must express my shame and disappointment that the American delegation in Vienna chose to make a public statement in opposition to the inclusion of the term “harm reduction” in the adopted political declaration.  When a group of 26 countries, led by America’s traditional allies, made a statement interpreting the phrase “related support services” in clause 20 of the political declaration to mean “harm reduction,” most countries’ delegations chose to remain silent and neither support nor oppose this interpretation.

Yet the American delegation made the choice to speak out in opposition to this interpretation, aligning itself with Russia and Cuba, who are responsible for some the worst human rights abuses perpetrated in the name of the War on Drugs.

I find it shameful that the United States would choose to align itself with countries with some of the most repressive drug policies in the world, rather than with our traditional allies.  This administration has promised to rebuild America’s traditional alliances, yet we set relations back with these countries in order to oppose harm reduction policies that respect human dignity and save lives.

While I applaud America’s policy change on needle exchange and methadone maintenance, I strongly urge you to order the American delegation in Vienna to support the inclusion of the term “harm reduction,” and related practices, in future United Nations deliberations.

President Obama declared in his recent address to Congress that America is ready to lead again.  If we truly want the world to follow, we must advocate for human rights, public health, and evidence based drug policy, and leave the old policies of dogma and ideology in the 20th century where they belong.

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