The war on drugs is a ‘war against women and children’

More than 20 years since Amy Case King served her last prison sentence for drug-related charges in the US, the conviction still affects her. 

‘Criminalization is more harmful in the long-term because it doesn’t address the underlying drug use,’ she says. ‘The impact lingers long after the completed sentence. Having to report a felony on job and rental applications, and higher education financial assistance is like double jeopardy. It’s a continued punishment that impacts your access to basic needs such as shelter, food and clothing.’

A new report from the Global Commission on Drug Policy (GCDP) reveals over three million people were arrested for drug-related offences in 2023, with almost half of executions worldwide related to drug crimes. The number of women in prison globally for drug-related offences has increased by 17 per cent since 2010.

But while governments are spending $100 billion a year on the ‘drug war’, prohibition has failed to control the illegal drug trade, resulting in rising overdose deaths, strained criminal justice systems and ‘grave violations’ of human rights.