Global report: Prohibition, drug law enforcement drive violence, gun offenses and homicides

Violence is among the primary concerns of communities around the world, and research from many settings has demonstrated clear links between violence and the illicit drug trade, particularly in urban settings. The ICSDP's first report "Effect of Drug Law Enforcement on Drug-Related Violence: Evidence from a Scientific Review" shows that while violence has traditionally been framed as resulting from the effects of drugs on individual users (e.g., drug-induced psychosis), violence in drug markets and in drug-producing areas such as Mexico is increasingly understood as a means for drug gangs to gain or maintain a share of the lucrative illicit drug market.

Thousands of scientists, docotors, politicians, police, and people around the world are calling for reform

The Vienna Declaration is a scientific document calling for evidence-based illicit drug policy. Doctors, Nobel Laureates, politicians, law enforcement, literary icons, people who use drugs, and now entire municipalities have joined the call for a full re-orientation of illicit drug policy.

Click here to sign the Vienna Declaration and join this international community of support. To learn more about who has endorsed the Vienna Declaration visit the Vienna Declaration blog. For daily updates on the progress of the Vienna Declaration join us on Twitter or Facebook.

Get the facts... in Spanish, English, and Portuguese (coming soon!) For anyone looking for a refresher on years of research evidencing the urgent need for alternatives to the "war on drugs", the ICSDP presents Did You Know: The War on Drugs Edition (DYN). Modeled after the viral YouTube series, DYN provides a fast-paced overview of the realities of conventional drug policies based on studies and reports from the United Nations, US Department of Justice, and a number of peer-reviewed journals.