Friend,

We know that the war on drugs has caused immeasurable harm in the U.S. And we also know that the U.S. has exported its destructive drug policy approaches to other countries. Despite growing evidence that punitive approaches don’t work to achieve their stated aims (ending drug use and sales), these approaches have continued. And they’ve had devastating effects on human rights and health. In the U.S. and around the world, they’ve led to mass criminalization, disease transmission, repression, and displacement. 

In partnership with Harm Reduction International (HRI), Drug Policy Alliance has just released a new report. A World of Harm: How U.S. Taxpayers Fund the Global War on Drugs Over Evidence-Based Health Responses shows how U.S. assistance has supported and expanded destructive and deadly anti-drug responses in low- and middle-income countries around the world. Did you know that: 

• Almost $13 billion of U.S. taxpayer money has been allocated to international “counternarcotics” activities since 2015. That’s more than was spent on international education, water supply, sanitation, and women’s rights. 
• Funding meant to end global poverty is going to “counternarcotics” activities. Budgets that are supposed to combat poverty and support other sustainable development goals while doing no harm are actually going to the drug war. 
• “Narcotics control” and “counternarcotic activities” spending has resulted in worldwide harms. These include human rights abuses, rising HIV rates, aerial fumigation with toxic chemicals, and militarized responses in various regions.  

In addition to follow-the-money data analysis, the report contains three case studies. Examples from Colombia, Mexico, and the Philippines reveal the devastating damage done by this spending. 

We hope you will read and share this new report. 

To stop the harm, we demand change at every level. The U.S. must divest from the unjust drug war and invest in programs – both domestically and internationally – that prioritize community, health, and justice.  

We all deserve a world where people are supported, including having access to evidence-based health responses to drugs. To build that world, we must reduce our reliance on punitive drug strategies, both at home and worldwide.