“Drugs cost lives” – so begins the preface of the World Drug Report 2021, the flagship annual publication from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) which is published on the UN’s International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. This year’s slogan for the day was  #ShareFactsSaveLives and in the preface, UNODC’s Executive Director states that, “it is crucial to cut through the noise and focus on facts, a lesson that we must heed in order to protect societies from the impact of drugs”.

It is therefore deeply disappointing that UNODC’s report omits so many facts and fails to present the full picture of the impact global drug control.

July 21st is International Drug Users' Remembrance Day, where we take time to remember the people whose lives were unjustly cut short due to the criminalisation and stigmatisation of people who use drugs. To us, they were #MoreThan a casualty; they were our family, friends, peers and loved ones. 

Every year, on 26 June, the Support. Don’t Punish campaign mobilises in reaction to this violence and this loss, to build sustainable alternatives that end cycles of punishment and marginalisation, and rather advance our communities’ health, human rights and well-being.

INPUD's 2020 Annual Report has been released, and is a celebration of the incredible accomplishments of our network and the global community of people who use drugs over this past year.

Despite facing down unprecedented challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, decreasing funding spaces and reactionary pushback on human rights, peers across the world stepped up in incredible and inspiring ways. INPUD's work in 2020 was some of our most impactful yet, and we are so grateful to all of our members, donors and supporters who helped us achieve this incredible work. 

During the past decade, drug policy reform has made unprecedented advances at the international, regional and national levels. As members of the Global Commission on Drug Policy, we have seen and accompanied several of these changes. In 2016, the UN General Assembly Special Session on drugs adopted an outcome document that reorients drug control to more balanced policies. In 2019, the UN System adopted a common position on drug-related matters. Countries have started legally regulating some drugs. And decriminalization of small quantities of drugs for personal use is quietly gaining traction worldwide. High-level discussions on drug policy reform have started among member states of intergovernmental regional forums in Africa, the Americas and Europe.

SANPUD in conjunction with INPUD & Robert Carr Network will be holding an income generation opportunity for the PWUD Networks around South Africa. Named 'Double Or Quits', the competition is open to all SANPUD registered networks across all provinces. The aim is for the business to be self-sustaining and generate income to support the network and the network members. The income generating activity is for networks, and any money made from this business belongs to your network. SANPUD and its staff have no claim over any of the income that your network generates from this initiative.

The UN General Assembly 2021 High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS (HLM2021AIDS) is here! In the coming week, starting 7 June, there will be many events addressing the needs for community leadership and human rights- and evidence-based combination prevention, treatment and care. This page will inform you how to get involved and join the civil society #WeAreHLM movement. 

Gender-based violence (GBV) is a global problem that affects 1 in 3 women or girls in their lifetime - a shocking statistic that highlights how prevalent the issue is, and should motivate everyone to want to take action to bring it to an end.