The campaign

Support. Don’t Punish is a global grassroots-centred initiative in support of harm reduction and drug policies that prioritise public health and human rights. The campaign seeks to put harm reduction on the political agenda by strengthening the mobilisation capacity of communities targeted by the “war on drugs” and their allies, opening dialogue with policy makers, and raising awareness among the media and the public.

The campaign’s yearly high point is the Global Day of Action, which takes place on, or around, 26th June (the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking). Historically, this date has been used by governments to showcase their drug control “achievements” in coercive terms. The campaign’s Global Day of Action seeks to reclaim and shift that day’s narrative. And so, every year, an increasing number of  activists in dozens of cities all over the world join this unique and multifaceted show of force for reform and harm reduction. To stay in touch about the Global Day of Action and possibilities of support, please subscribe to our newsletter. You can also learn more about previous local partners’ previous activities here.

The Support. Don’t Punish campaign aligns with the following key messages:

• The drug control system is broken and in need of reform.
• People who use drugs should no longer be criminalised.
• People involved in the drug trade should not face harsh or disproportionate punishments, where retained.
• The death penalty should never be imposed for drug offences.
• Drug policy should focus on health, well-being and harm reduction.
• Drug policy budgets need rebalancing to ensure health and harm reduction-based responses are adequately financed.

Check out the video, below, which introduces the campaign and showcases a decade of mobilisation: