GENEVA – Punitive drug laws and policies continue to drive systemic racism against Africans and people of African descent around the world, the International Independent Expert Mechanism to Advance Racial Justice and Equality in Law Enforcement warned today, calling for a fundamental shift towards human rights-based, public health-oriented approaches.
In its latest report to the Human Rights Council, the Expert Mechanism concluded that racial discrimination is deeply embedded in drug control systems, seriously undermining the enjoyment of human rights by racialised groups, particularly Africans and people of African descent.
“The evidence gathered by the Mechanism demonstrated that the enforcement of drug laws and policies does not operate in a vacuum. Rather, it often mirrors and reinforces long-standing patterns of racial discrimination,” said Tracie Keesee, the acting Chair of the Expert Mechanism. “These patterns are rooted in the legacies of colonialism and enslavement, the racialisation of drugs, the punitive approaches to drug control, and the continuing influence of the so-called “war on drugs.”
The report found that racial discrimination occured across multiple stages of drug law enforcement, including questioning, arrests, prosecutions, sentencing, detention and post-conviction consequences. It highlighted the role of racial profiling, over-policing of communities of African descent, excessive use of force, and other law enforcement practices that contributed to the disproportionate criminalisation and punishment of these communities.
The harms resulting from drug enforcement are often exacerbated by intersecting forms of discrimination. Factors such as gender, age, migration status, socio-economic disadvantage can increase the risk of human rights violations and deepen the impact of discriminatory policing and criminal justice responses. The report found that children and young men of African descent are among those most adversely affected by punitive drug policies and their enforcement.
The report also identified promising practices and policy approaches aimed at dismantling racial discrimination and advancing equitable responses to drug use and drug-related activities. It underscored the importance of decriminalisation, alternatives to detention, accountability, data collection, and community engagement.
The Expert Mechanism put forward practical recommendations aimed at addressing systemic racism in drug enforcement. Key measures included reforming drug laws and policies that produce discriminatory outcomes, strengthening accountability for abuses by law enforcement officials, improving data collection and oversight, and ensuring that affected communities play a meaningful role in shaping policies that impact their lives.
“The pursuit of racial justice requires confronting the systemic inequities that continue to shape drug policy and law enforcement responses,” said Víctor Rodríguez Rescia, a member of the Expert Mechanism. “Moving beyond isolated reforms, we need a fundamental rethinking of current approaches, placing human rights, racial justice, equality, public health, and meaningful community participation at the centre of policy and practice.”
The Expert Mechanism will present its report to the Human Rights Council during its sixty-third session on 29 September 2026.
