Human Rights

The D.E.A. Changes a Policy on Painkillers

The Drug Enforcement Administration has issued a new guideline intended to help ease the delay some nursing home residents face in receiving certain painkillers and anti-anxiety medications. The D.E.A. had not previously recognized nurses employed by nursing homes as the legal agents of doctors in conveying controlled substances prescriptions to pharmacists. The agencyâs previous stance, critics said in an article last week in The New York Times, caused many nursing home residents to suffer in pain while they waited for their prescriptions.

Royal Palace, Cambodia (wikimedia.org)

Cambodia Opens First Methadone Clinic

Cambodia has been criticized for its inhumane drug treatment centers, but is winning praise for opening its first methadone clinic.

Yuri Fedotov (courtesy Voice of Russia, ruvr.ru)

Russian Diplomat Takes Over at UN Drug Agency

It's the changing of the guard at the UNODC. As of Monday, a veteran Russian diplomat now runs one of the backbones of the global drug prohibition regime.

Absence of Morphine Condemns Children to a Life of Pain

Morphine, as a narcotic, has such a bad reputation in many poor countries that doctors cannot obtain it for their patients. A new report from Human Rights Watch describes the suffering of children in pain in Kenya.

Boy Shot Dead by Drug War Troops

Soldiers opened fire on a family car at a checkpoint in northern Mexico, killing a 15-year-old boy and another person. It is at least the second time this year that a family has been caught up in a shooting involving Mexico's military, which has come under intense criticism for human rights abuses as soldiers fight drug traffickers.

poster of assassinated human rights advocate Ricardo Murillo

US Withholds Some Mexico Drug Aid Over Human Rights Concerns

To gently chide Mexico for continuing human rights violations by its military, the US will withold $26 million that Mexico won't see until next year anyway. To make up for that, the US is releasing $36 million it withheld last year.

Latin America: Human Rights a Casualty in Chihuahua's Drug War

The Mexican army undertook Operation Join Together Chihuahua in March, as thousands of troops poured into the Mexican border state. As has been the case elsewhere in Mexico, the arrival of the troops has been followed by a growing chorus of human rights complaints.

Mexican Army Kills US Citizen on Acapulco-Zihuatenejo Highway

The Mexican military shot and killed a US citizen on a coastal highway Saturday night. They said he attacked them while driving toward them. The consulate wants an investigation.

Feature: Mexico Conference Calls for New Direction in Drug Policy, Says Prohibition Has Failed

As Mexico's war on drugs continues to spiral out of control, pressure is mounting for a new approach. A conference in Mexico City this week had a few suggestions.

Felipe Calderon attending security conference

Mexican Presidents Talk Drug Legalization

After Mexican President Calderon toyed briefly with the notion of legalization last week, his predecessor, Vicente Fox, has jumped in with a forthright call for legalization. Calderon didn't bite this week, but did show signs of recognizing he's created a disaster.

Subscribe to Human Rights