16 October 2025
Drug Policy Reform: Global Trends, Challenges, and the Future of Drug Policy: Plenary chaired by Professor Alison Ritter, Director, Drug Policy Modelling Program, Social Policy Research Centre, UNSW
“Let’s face it — it’s a pretty shitty world right now,” said Professor Alison Ritter, echoing the words of Ernst Wisse from Médecins du Monde, who had spoken in an earlier plenary.
It was a fitting start to a session focussed on achieving drug policy reform. Alison outlined the powerful forces reshaping not only global health and drug policy, but the world itself — the surge of right-wing populism, deepening political polarisation, the destabilising effects of AI and climate change, and a rapid erosion of trust between governments, science, and communities.
A challenging landscape
For drug policy, these pressures are already showing. PEPFAR funding freezes have threatened progress on HIV and hepatitis C, UNAIDS is losing half its staff, and harm reduction mandates at the World Health Organization are under threat. And it’s not just the United States.
Across Europe, research and services are being stripped of resources. Decriminalisation rollbacks in Oregon, British Columbia, Thailand, and Vietnam add to a mounting sense of regression. And in Australia, where Alison is located, the Queensland Government refused to release a positive evaluation of a drug-checking pilot given that it had pulled its funding.
Signs of progress
Yet amid the setbacks, there are still reasons for hope. In Scotland, a long-fought victory saw the opening of the country’s first drug consumption room — a milestone for public health and harm reduction. The UN’s Colombian Resolution has also created an independent expert group to examine the global drug control system and recommend ways to make it more effective and humane. And in Indonesia, long-overdue conversations between civil society and government are beginning to signal a shift towards more open, collaborative policymaking.
Hope around the world
After setting the scene, the session turned to a panel of experts who each shared their own stories of progress — reminders that even in a challenging global climate, meaningful change is still possible.
Charity Monareng (SSDP International) spoke about the growing visibility of communities in drug policy — not as token participants but as partners shaping data, strategy, and reform. She highlighted progress in South Africa, where, after a decade of advocacy, the national police service has issued a directive to stop confiscating harm reduction tools.
From Malaysia, Samantha Chong (Drug Policy Program Malaysia) shared how relentless advocacy has seen people removed from death row for medical cannabis use — and how a movement that began as a volunteer WhatsApp group grew into a national drug policy program, supported by Open Society Foundations (OSF) and the Global Fund.=
Diego Garcia-Devis (OSF) described an alliance in Mexico that helped secure the release of more than 60 women imprisoned for low-level drug offences, achieved through collaboration between lawyers, government officials, and independent media.
Bringing a government perspective Dr Fadzli (Malaysia) spoke about the importance of open and transparent communication with government, including explaining the pros and cons of reform.
Representing INPUD, Mat Southwell recounted a crisis in Egypt where 1,500 people on methadone were suddenly cut off due to an expiry issue. Within a week, coordinated action by INPUD, UNODC, UNICEF, WHO and many other organisations and relentless community advocacy and involvement restored access — proof of what’s possible when communities, agencies, and governments work together quickly and decisively. He also echoed Charity’s message: community must lead progress, not just participate in it.
What’s next? A call to action
Drawing on the insights of the panel, Alison asked each panel member to close with actions that INHSU delegates could all take. Amongst other suggestions:
- Charity Monareng urged researchers to bring policymakers into advisory groups, fostering genuine collaboration rather than consultation
- Mat Southwell called on funders to move beyond tokenism and invest directly in community-led organisations, as well as asked people who use drugs to join the movement
- Dr Fadzli Isa encouraged those in positions of influence — from policy writers to public speakers — to weave drug policy into their messages and use every platform to shift the narrative
- Diego Garcia-Devis reminded attendees that drug policy doesn’t exist in isolation — it’s about health, justice, and human rights — and the conversations must connect all three
- Samantha Chong highlighted the importance of building relationships with civil servants who remain in place long after governments change
“Success comes out of adversity.”
In a time of shrinking budgets and political fatigue, the panel’s message was clear: reform is possible when power is shared, strategic alliances and partnerships are built, and when the people most affected by policy are central.
