Legislating for health and human rights: model law on drug use and HIV/AIDS

Many countries with injection-driven HIV and AIDS epidemics continue to emphasise criminal enforcement of drug laws over public health approaches, thereby missing or even hindering effective responses to HIV and AIDS. This online resource from the Canadian HIV/AIDS legal network shows how there is considerable evidence that numerous interventions to prevent HIV transmission and reduce other harms associated with injection drug use are feasible, effective as public health measures and cost-effective. Despite such evidence, millions of people around the world who use drugs do not have access to such services because of legal and social barriers.

The resource provides a detailed framework of legal provisions and accompanying commentary. It refers to examples of law from jurisdictions that have attempted to establish a clear legal framework for addressing HIV and AIDS issues among people who use drugs. It also incorporates human rights principles and the obligations of states throughout the document. The resource is annotated to highlight critical issues and evidence that supports proposed measures. It consists of eight modules, each of which is a stand-alone document. These include: criminal law issues, sterile syringe programmes, supervised drug consumption facilities, prisons, outreach and information, treatment for drug dependence, stigma and discrimination, and heroin prescription programmes.

[adapted from the author]