Human Rights and Drug Control: A New Perspective

243 Pages·2019·3.167 MB·English

by  Melissa L. Bone

Human Rights and Drug
Control
This book uses a human rights perspective – developed philosophically, polit-
ically and legally – to change the way in which we think about drug control
issues.
The prohibitionist approach towards tackling the ‘drugs problem’ is not work-
ing. The laws and mentality that see drugs as the problem and tries to fight them
makes the ‘drugs problem’ worse. While the law is the best-placed mechanism to
regulate our actions in relation to particular drugs, this book argues against the
stranglehold of the criminal law, and instead presents a human rights perspective
to change the way we think about drug control issues. Part I develops a concep-
tual framework for human rights in the context of drug control – p hilosophically,
politically and legally – and applies this to the domestic (UK) and international
drug control system. Part II focuses on case law to illustrate both the potential
and the limitations of successfully applying this unique perspective in practice.
The conclusion points towards a bottom-up process for drug policy which is
capable of reconfiguring the mentality of prohibition.
This book will be of interest to students and scholars of human rights, crimi-
nal law, criminology, politics and socio-legal studies.
Melissa L. Bone teaches Criminal Law and Law Justice and Society at the U niversity
of Leicester.

Human Rights and Drug
Control
A New Perspective
Melissa L. Bone
First published 2020
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
A GlassHouse Book
© 2020 Melissa L. Bone
The right of Melissa L. Bone to be identified as author of this
work has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77
and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted
or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic,
mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented,
including photocopying and recording, or in any information
storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from
the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be
trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for
identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Bone, Melissa L. author.
Title: Human rights and drug control: a new perspective / Melissa L. Bone
Description: Abingdon, Oxon; New York, NY Routledge, 2020. |
Based on author’s thesis (doctoral – University of Manchester, 2015),
issued under title: How can the lens of human rights provide a
new perspective on drug control and point to different
ways of regulating drug consumption? |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2019029107 (print) | LCCN 2019029108 (ebook) |
ISBN 9781138224025 (hardback) | ISBN 9781315310213 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Drugs of abuse—Law and legislation. | Human rights. |
Drugs of abuse—Law and legislation—Great Britain. |
Civil rights—Great Britain.
Classification: LCC K3641.B66 2020 (print) | LCC K3641 (ebook) |
DDC 344.04/4—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019029107
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019029108
ISBN: 978-1-138-22402-5 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-31021-3 (ebk)
Typeset in Galliard
by codeMantra
For my Grandad – Stanley J. Quest

Contents
Table of international instruments viii
Table of international documents x
Table of national legislation and documents xvi
Table of cases xx
Acknowledgments xxiii
List of abbreviations xxiv
Introduction 1
PART I
Developing a human rights perspective 15
1 The origin and value of human rights and human drug use 17
2 Human rights and the drug policy binary 41
3 The legal architecture behind the human rights and
drug control frameworks 66
PART II
Applying a human rights perspective 99
4 Health rights, autonomy rights and the drug control
framework 101
5 Religious rights, related rights and the drug control
framework 136
Conclusion 169
Bibliography 187
Index 207
Table of international instruments
Drug control instruments
The Brussels General Act of 1889–1890 ........................................................79
The Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic sub-
stances (1988) ...........................................................................................88
The Convention on Psychotropic Substances (1971) ................2, 86, 87–88, 94
The Geneva Convention (1925) .....................................................................82
The Geneva Narcotics Manufacturing and Distribution Limitation Convention
(1931)/Bangkok Opium Smoking Agreement (1931) ................................82
The Geneva Trafficking Convention (1936) ...................................................82
The International Opium Convention (1912) ................................................79
The New York Opium Protocol (1953) ..........................................................82
The Paris Protocol (1948) .............................................................................82
The Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs (1961) .........................2, 50, 82, 88
World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control
(2003) .......................................................................................................80
Human rights instruments
The African (Banjul) Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (1981) ..........138
The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (2000) .............72
The Charter of the United Nations (1945) ....................66, 67, 70, 84, 96, 121
The Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading
Treatment or Punishment (1984) ..............................................................69
The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against
Women (1979) ..........................................................................................69
The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006) ........70, 104
The Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) .......................69, 104, 138
The Declaration on the Elimination of all Forms of Intolerance and Discrimina-
tion Based on Religion or Belief (1981) ...................................................138
The European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamen-
tal Freedoms (1950) .......10, 21–22, 27, 29, 30, 64, 72–78, 96, 97, 106, 107,
109–111, 117, 119, 121, 122, 123, 125, 138
Table of international instruments ix
The European Social Charter (1961) .............................................73, 104, 107
The European Convention on Social and Medical Assistance (1953) ...........104
The European Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine (1997) ........104, 107
The International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced
Disappearance (2006) ...............................................................................69
The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Dis-
crimination (1966) ....................................................................................69
The International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant
Workers and Members of Their Families (1990) ................................69, 138
The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966) ..................21,
67–70, 109, 138, 161
The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
(1966) ....................................................... 21, 68, 69, 104–106, 113
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) ................21, 22, 25, 26,
29, 67, 69, 73, 96, 104, 109, 138, 162
The United Nations Declaration on the Right to Development (1986) ..........70
The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Disabled persons (1975) .......104
The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
(2007) ...........................................................................................70
The United Nations Declaration on the Use of Scientific and Technological Pro-
gress in the Interests of Peace and for the Benefit of Mankind (1975) .....104
Other international instruments
The Covenant of the League of Nations (1919) (Amendments adopted in
1924) ...........................................................................................21, 66
The Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (1969) ................................113