UNGASS 2016: Insights from Europe on the development of global cannabis policy and the need for reform of the global drug policy regime

This article is framed by the forthcoming United Nations General Assembly Special Session on drugs (UNGASS) debates on global drug policy. It explores European drug policy experiences to draw out important lessons and insights that could be applied to wider global drug policy regimes. European experiences with (i) diverse cannabis policies and (ii) longstanding attempts to harmonise or coordinate diverse national drug policies in general are examined and the results are extrapolated to global drug policy debates. The diversity of drug policy seen within EU borders should be viewed (i) as a strength, (ii) flexibility under the international conventions is possible, but has limitations, (iii) changes to the global drug policy regime should seek to increase flexibility, and (iv) the importance of international institutions in providing a framework and an evaluatory role should not be under emphasised. Collectively, the evidence suggests the need for the loosening of controls restricting the development of diverse drug policy innovations, and the development of international drug policy frameworks and international standards of drug-related data collection.