19th December 2024
It has been another momentous year for drug policy reform as it continues to accelerate across the world in 2024 - and Transform has been at the heart of much of this progress. Here are our top ten of the year, in roughly chronological order, highlighting some of the amazing work from Transform and colleagues in the UK and around the world
UK’s first regular drug checking service opens in Bristol
City of Amsterdam hosts conference on regulating cocaine
UN finally adopts harm reduction language in its drug policy
Germany legalises cannabis
UK’s first Overdose Prevention Centre gets the green light in Scotland
Transform launches its #LegaliseUKCannabis campaign and fundraiser
Our Anyone’s Child campaign engages dozens of communities across the UK
Links between prohibition and environmental destruction presented to COP16 in Colombia
Transform meets European and Global policy makers to discuss drug reform
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights calls for an end to the War on Drugs and backs regulation
1. The Loop opens the UK’s first regular drug checking service in Bristol
After more than a decade of groundbreaking harm reduction service pilot projects, regularly aided and abetted by Transform, The Loop finally succeeded in opening the UK's first Home Office approved drug checking service in Bristol in association with Bristol Drugs Project.
2. The Mayor of Amsterdam hosts conference on regulating cocaine
A new political actor going all in for drug law reform can make a huge difference - especially when it is the Mayor of a major city such as Amsterdam - willing to invest substantive political capital in a bold call for regulation and focusing on cocaine. This is exactly what happened this year. With Transform as a key partner, the City of Amsterdam organised a major international conference on regulation - welcoming mayors from around the world and launching a Manifesto for Change, and a new Cities for Regulation coalition. A second Dealing with drugs- Cities and the Quest for Regulation event was co-hosted by Transform, the Mayor of Amsterdam and the EU Correlation Network in Warsaw in December.
3. Harm reduction language is finally included in a UN drug policy resolution
After years of civil society advocacy and political dogfighting in multilateral forums, the term ‘Harm Reduction’ finally won some long overdue recognition and formalised legitimacy within the UN drug control system when harm reduction language was adopted in a US- sponsored resolution on overdose prevention. Read about how the drama unfolded here (from IDPC).
4. Germany legalises cannabis
Germany set another landmark moment for cannabis reforms by establishing a system - including homegrowing and non profit cannabis associations - of regulated legal access to cannabis for its 80million citizens. This follows on from Malta’s recent establishment of a cannabis market (through non-profit membership associations), Luxembourg legalising possession and home growing, and ‘research pilots’ of legal retail sales in the Netherlands and Switzerland. These European countries have become the new leaders in ending the historic failings of prohibition, with Germany the most politically significant yet. Transform has been providing expert advice to the German Government, supported by the German translation of ‘How to Regulate Cannabis: A practical guide’ published in 2023.
5.The UK's first Overdose Prevention Centre gets the green light in Scotland
After decades of advocacy, and years of legal and political wrangling, the UK’s first overdose prevention center (aka supervised consumption facility) finally got the greenlight in Glasgow from the Scottish Government, and a non-interference agreement (albeit and reluctant one) from Westminster. Opening in the next few weeks the center heralds a new era of evidence based pragmatism in the harm reduction response to the growing threat of potent synthetic opioids like fentanyl and nitazenes in the illegal drugs supply chain.
6. Transform launches its #LegaliseUKCannabis campaign and fundraiser
Transform has spent more than 20 years developing policy models and advocating for cannabis regulation, working with governments of Canada, Uruguay, Mexico, Germany Luxembourg and Malta in designing their regulations. The wave of reforms around the world, combined with a new UK government, offers an opportunity for fresh thinking. As public support for cannabis legalisation reaches a majority here in the UK, there is clearly a moment to be seized here in cannabis reform advocacy. So Transform has launched a new LegaliseUKCannabis initiative to build and inform a coalition of key experts and stakeholders to plot a course for UK cannabis reforms. The campaign’s first major publication on the economic implications of reform for the UK is being published in the new year.
7. Our Anyone’s Child campaign engages dozens of communities across the UK
Transform's Anyone's child campaign continued to engage with communities policymakers and media across the country - telling the human stories of the impact of the war on drugs. This years Anyone's Child calendar included events in Bristol, Portsmouth, Belfast and the Isle of Man. Read the stories from the Anyones Child families in the UK (& internationally), and find out how you can get involved.
8. Links between prohibition and environmental destruction presented to COP16 in Colombia
Transform joined the Coalition for Drug Policy Reform and Environmental Justice at the UN COP 16 on biodiversity in Cali, Colombia this year to highlight how the War on Drugs is undermining biodiversity and environmental safeguards. Transform was invited by the Colombian Ministry of Justice to speak at an event with fellow coalition members - exploring the role of regulation in addressing environmental harms of the drug war. This was an incredible opportunity to present how prohibitionist drug policy is having a direct impact on the environment with an important new audience.
9. Transform meets European and Global policy makers to discuss drug reform
Transform was invited participate in the Brandenburg forum again this year - a unique opportunity to spend three days exploring global drug policy reform grounded in human rights, public health and development - with representatives from key governments, UN agencies, and international civil society (read the report from last years forum here). The Forum was organised by the Global Partnership on Drug Policies and Development (GPDPD) – co-hosted by the Government of the Netherlands, the Transnational Institute (TNI), and the International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC). This years forum included a focus on cocaine policy - considering impacts of current policy on the environment and security issues, as well as looking at innovative harm reduction responses (including prescribing pilot projects).
10. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights calls for an end to the War on Drugs and backs regulation
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights sent a prepared video message to the 'Dealing with Drugs II' conference in Warsaw - organised by The City of Amsterdam in collaboration with Transform and the Correlation Network. The text of his speech titled “The international pursuit of sensible regulation of drugs” was also shared on the OHCHR website, on twitter/x here (75,000 views and counting), and on LinkedIn here, and was reported on the UN News site under the headline ‘War on drugs has failed, completely and utterly’. In the speech he calls for 'transformative change'; "responsible regulation should aim to take control of illegal drug markets, and eliminate profits from illegal trafficking, criminality and violence. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to responsible regulation, but collaboration is crucial. Events like this are so important – gathering city leaders, municipalities, civil society, and experts from across Europe and indeed the world to share best practices and expertise"
Thankyou to all our supporters. Happy Christmas - and see you in the new year to continue this amazing journey!
