Statement to the Commission on Human Rights re: Vulnerable Groups (Item 14)

“The International Service for Human Rights, the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network and the Human Rights Council of Australia acknowledge at the outset the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender members of government and other delegations throughout this room. We know that many of you are unable to express your sexual orientation or gender identity for fear … Read more

Letter to Indian President APJ Abdul Kalam re: Patent (Amendment) Bill 2005

“We write to you to express our deepest concern that recent amendments to India’s patent legislation will lead to unnecessary suffering and death for millions of people in your country and in many others, particularly in the developing world. We urge you to send the Patent (Amendment) Bill 2005 back to Parliament for reconsideration, so … Read more

Speaking Notes – Testimony to the House of Commons Subcommittee on Solicitation Laws

“This year we will be producing a full length report, provisionally titled: Prostitution under the Canadian Criminal Code: Principles for Law Reform in the Context of HIV/AIDS. We will make the report available to the Subcommittee. Today I will provide a very short summary of selected sections of that report . . . .”

Letter to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) re: Syringe Exchange

“We are writing to seek your assurance that the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) will remain faithful to its obligation to promote all effective measures to reduce HIV vulnerability among drug users. The enclosed letter, signed by 334 organizations and individuals in 56 countries, attests to the gravity of international concern surrounding an … Read more

Reason and rights in global drug control policy – Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ), 172 (5), March 2005

Among a number of compelling reasons for the international community to reconsider the “war on drugs,” the HIV/AIDS epidemic is the most urgent. The prevailing emphasis on law enforcement in drug policy has failed to produce its purported benefits, yet many countries insist on enforcing prohibition and resist the implementation of evidence-based measures to reduce … Read more