Human rights and drug conventions: Searching for humanitarian reason in drug laws

Abstract

This article will address possible conflicts between the UN Drug Conventions and Human Rights treaties, specifically in regard to countries committing human rights violations in applying drug laws. Considering that human rights are at the core of the UN System and, together with development, and peace and security, represent one of the three pillars of the United Nations enshrined in the UN Charter, it is preposterous that drug policies applied by UN Members violate the individual and social rights provided for in many international instruments that are assumed to be binding to state's interventions. Nevertheless, there are many examples of human rights violations, such as the death penalty for drug offenses, inhumane treatment imposed on drug addicts, violations of individual guarantees in criminal cases involving drugs, and the prohibition of substances such as the coca leaf, traditionally consumed in the Andes in South America, that will be examined in this chapter.