Drug policy, and above all the global rules to be applied in each country, is by no means a distant issue. If you thought that, the 68th session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) may change your mind. The decisions taken in this forum will affect everything from access to medicines to the security of cities and the protection of human rights.

Between Monday 10 and Friday 14 March 2025, Vienna (Austria) is, as every year, the epicenter of the global discussion on drugs with the celebration of a new session of the CND, made up of 53 countries — including Colombia. This 2025 the debate is more complex: after a historic breakthrough last year, the bloc of countries supporting a reform of the drug control system has shrunk, putting the future of fairer and more inclusive policies at stake.

What is decided in this scenario could make the difference between moving towards public health and human rights approaches or going back to punitive policies that have proven to be ineffective and harmful. Tensions are high: while some countries seek to continue promoting harm reduction and the regulation of certain substances, others are trying to stop any change and return to a model based on prohibition and criminalization.

Five reasons why we should care about the CND68

1. Public health: drug policies affect access to treatment for problematic use and to essential medicines, including opioids for chronic pain and end-of-life care. Decisions at the CND can determine how access and availability are improved in each country.
2. Individual rights: what is discussed at the CND will influence whether countries move towards the decriminalization of personal drug use, thus protecting personal freedom and autonomy, or whether they continue to criminalize people for using a substance.
3. Economy and security: Global drug control strategies impact local economies and the dynamics of drug trafficking. Vienna has the opportunity to at least foster a debate on the need to move towards regulated markets to weaken illegal actors and reduce violence.
4. Social justice: Many of the people imprisoned for minor drug offenses are part of vulnerable populations. CND 68 could push for measures to reduce these excessive measures and opt for alternatives to incarceration.
5. Citizen participation: Being informed about what happens at the CND allows us to demand better policies in our countries and promote a drug approach based on rights and scientific evidence.

Colombia and its key role in CND68

Colombia has been a protagonist at the CND in recent years. In the 67th edition in 2024, it promoted the first vote in the recent history of this body, ensuring that “harm reduction” —strategies to minimize risks associated with drug use— was included for the first time in a UN resolution on drugs.

However, as we mentioned before, in just one year the global geopolitical scenario has changed drastically: the block of countries that support a reform of the system has shrunk, creating an uncertain scenario. At CND 68, Colombia seeks to maintain its leadership in the defense of more humane and effective policies.

In this sense, there are four issues in which there is an important national interest:

1. Colombia has called for a review of the system under which drug policy has been operating at a global level for more than 60 years, which has proven to be a costly failure and is not in line with current contexts; to this end, it has requested that the review be carried out by a panel of independent experts set up at the UN.
2. The prohibition of the use of glyphosate in crop eradication, due to its negative impacts on health and the environment.
3. The critical review of the coca leaf, which was a request from Colombia and Bolivia to the WHO and aims to launch a discussion to re-evaluate its classification on the strictest list of the prohibition system, recognizing its traditional uses, the rights of indigenous peoples and its potential regulation. The aim is to correct a historical error, as it was classified without evidence and with racial bias. On this last issue, although the vote is expected to take place at the CND in 2026, moves are already underway to ensure sufficient support for this initiative.
4. Continue to promote a harm reduction approach, to ensure drug policies that prioritize public health and respect for human rights.

Our participation in CND68

As part of civil society, we at Dejusticia will be monitoring the progress of the debates and sharing the conclusions through our digital channels. In addition, we will participate in some spaces parallel to the central discussions of the CND, that will be held in person and will not be streamed online:

1. Reception to launch the HRI25 Conference for Vienna: a joint event with the Colombian Embassy and allied organizations, in preparation for the International Harm Reduction Conference (HRI25) to be held in Colombia in April 2025. Date: March 10, 2025 / Time: 7 pm / Place: Residence of the Colombian Ambassador to the UN in Vienna.
2. Side event – Drug decriminalization: separating fact from fiction: Space to debunk myths about decriminalization and its impact on public health and safety. We will share our vision on 30 years of decriminalization in Colombia, the legal ups and downs, and the panorama of administrative criminalization with the Police Code. Date: March 12, 2025 / Time: 10 am – 11 am (GMT+1) / Place: Room M0E05, Vienna International Centre.
3. Side event – Alternatives to the incarceration of women for drug offenses: a debate on the need for more inclusive and gender-sensitive policies. We will share our analysis on the implementation of the Public Utility Law. Date: March 13, 2025 / Time: 10 am – 11 am (GMT+1) / Place: Room M7, Vienna International Centre.

The UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs seems to be reaching a breaking point. Whether the debate will shift towards an approach based on rights and public health, or whether the prohibitionist trend will prevail. The future of global drug policy depends on the decisions made there, which will determine the fate of millions of people around the world. Colombia will persist in its leadership role and will try to play a crucial part in this uncertain scenario.