Human rights and people who use drugs in the Mediterranean region: Current situation in 17 MedNET countries

In view of the discussion on "Human rights and people who use drugs in MedNET countries: current situation, challenges and future" which took place during the 25th MedNET meeting on 19 November 2019 - chaired by Prof. Nabil BEN SALAH - the Pompidou Group Secretariat conducted a first research on this topic among the 17 MedNET countries.
Prof. Jallal TOUFIQ, MedNET Representative of Morocco, who proposed the topic and facilitated this discussion, underlined the following items to undertake the research:
Human rights approach for people who use drugs should concern every single dimension related to drug use:
- Health approach at the policy level: drug use must be considered rightly as a medical condition to be taken care of by qualified health professionals;
- Treatment must be available, accessible, affordable and science-based, with the best practices;
- Prevention must be based on science, facts and best practices;
- Data collection must be considered as a part of the right to access information for the community and the professionals;
- Rehabilitation and social reintegration must be provided;
- Access to treatment and care for specific populations must be available: people who use drugs in prisons, sex workers, pregnant women, migrants, refugees, elderly, etc.;
- Fight against stigma and raising awareness in the society as a whole is needed;
- The adaptation of the law to the human rights approach especially for minors and non-trafficking users;
- Promoting the right of people who use drugs to create their own NGOs and self-help groups;
- Promoting the right to access treatment for all the consequences of drug use;
- Promoting every strategy aiming at reducing the health, economic, social and legal consequences of drug use.
The main objective of this discussion was to better understand the meaning of human rights in drug policy and to exchange best practices and ideas on this subject.