International Drug Control Law : Trends and Reform Challenges

The international drug control regime, built on three conventions (1961, 1971, and 1988), prohibits non-medical drug production and use while ensuring access for medical purposes. Despite nearly universal ratification and efforts focused on demand and supply reduction, the illegal drug market has expanded, with drug use increasing by 20% and problematic use by 45% in just a decade. Challenges such as synthetic drug crises, the legalization of non-medical cannabis in some regions, and new trafficking methods like dark web markets have highlighted tensions within the regime and its limits in meeting key objectives. This book examines the framework’s legal foundations, implementation, and historical context, alongside emerging tensions and their impact on global norms related to health, development, and human rights. It explores whether the regime remains fit for purpose or requires reform, assessing existing pathways for change and the implications of maintaining the status quo or of reforming. Offering critical insights for policymakers, academics, and communities, International Drug Control Law provides a timely and comprehensive analysis of the modernization of global drug policy in a rapidly shifting landscape.