The right to health and international drug control, compulsory treatment for drug dependence and access to controlled medicines 2010, para. 28
Paragraph
Paragraph text
Punitive drug policies also disproportionately impact on communities that are already vulnerable. For instance, it has been reported that in the United States of America, African-Americans are arrested at consistently higher rates than white Americans, although the rates of offences committed are comparable between these groups. Additionally, over 80 per cent of arrests are for possession of drugs, rather than sales. Accumulation of such minor offences can lead to incarceration and further marginalization of these already vulnerable individuals, increasing their health-related risks.
Legal status
Non-negotiated soft law
Body
Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Means of adoption
N.A.
Topic(s)
Health
Year
2010
Paragraph type
Other
Reference
SR Health, Report to the UNGA (2010), A/65/255, para. 28.