Harm Reduction International and supporting organisations welcome the Report by the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, as well as his March 2019 statement (co-authored with the Special Rapporteur on the right to health) on drug courts; which warned against the dangers of drug courts as manifestations of the abuse of the criminal justice system as a tool of drug control.
We wish to take this opportunity to comment upon other aspects of a criminal justice response to drugs which limit independence and autonomy of judges.