Civil society organisations from Latin America and around the world working on drug policy, harm reduction, and human rights express our rejection of the use of the “war on drugs” paradigm by the United States to justify pressure, interference, and intervention against Venezuela and other sovereign states in the region under threat.

Regional experience clearly shows that this approach has failed and has produced devastating consequences: militarisation, violence, the criminalisation of marginalised populations, and serious human rights violations. Far from controlling drug production or supply, militarised interventions have not only failed to do so, but have paradoxically contributed to the consolidation and enrichment of organised crime. Latin America is well aware of these impacts and rejects the recycling of this paradigm to legitimise new forms of intervention.

In this context, the invocation of alleged scenarios of “narco-terrorism” is particularly dangerous. This notion, which lacks recognition as a valid category under international law, has historically been used to justify extrajudicial killings, covert military operations, and the expansion of U.S. criminal jurisdiction beyond its borders, without meeting international standards governing jurisdiction and the legitimate use of force.

Portraying authorities of one State as “fugitives” from the justice system of another and attempting to unilaterally apply domestic laws in foreign territory not only lacks legal basis, but also constitutes a serious violation of state sovereignty and the international legal order established under the United Nations Charter. No exception recognized under international law permits such actions, nor do international drug control treaties contemplate or authorize measures of this nature within the framework of global cooperation on drugs.

We acknowledge the serious human rights situation and the profound crisis of institutional legitimacy in Venezuela. These circumstances, however, do not warrant the suspension of international law nor the use of securitized approaches as mechanisms of intervention into state sovereignty. We reaffirm our solidarity with the Venezuelan people and reject external pressure and interference that undermine self-determination and establish dangerous precedents for the region.

As organisations working to advance drug policies based on human rights, harm reduction, and public health, we affirm that violence, coercion, and intervention have no legitimate place in responding to challenges related to drugs. The language of war replaces democratic deliberation with a logic of exception and normalises practices incompatible with international human rights standards.

Respect for sovereignty entails the development of multilateral agreements anchored in shared objectives and transparent mechanisms, free from cost-shifting, risk externalisation, or unilateral imposition.

Africa Network of People Who Use Drugs (AfricaNPUD), Africa
Coalición Americana sobre Políticas de Drogas (CAPD), Américas
Rede Brasileira de Redução de Danos e Direitos Humanos (REDUC), Brazil
The International Coalition for Drug Policy Reform and Environmental Justice, Global
International Network of People who Use Drugs (INPUD), Global
Youth RISE, Global
Intercambios Asociación Civil, Argentina
RESET – Drugs, Policy and Human Rights, Argentina
Australian Injecting and Illicit Drug Users League (AIVL), Australia
Women and Modern World Social Charitable Center – CWMW, Azerbaijan
Colisão Pelo Clima Belo Horizonte, Brasil
Escola Livre de Redução de Danos, Brasil
Canadian Drug Policy Coalition, Canada
HIV Legal Network, Canada
Fundación Latinoamérica Reforma, Chile
Corporación Viviendo, Colombia
Elementa, Colombia y México
Asociación Costarricense para el Estudio e Intervención en Drogas (ACEID), Costa Rica
Asociación Costarricense de Reducción de Daños, Costa Rica
PARALELO, Ecuador
Lago Agrio Cannabico, Ecuador
National Harm Reduction Coalition, Estados Unidos & Puerto Rico
Finnish Association for Humane Drug Policy, Finland
My Brain My Choice Initiative, Germany
BerLUN e.V., Germany
Rights Reporter Foundation, Hungary
Lembaga Bantuan Hukum Masyarakat, Indonesia
Meglio Legale, Italia
La Società della Ragione, Italy
Forum Droghe, Italy
Kenya Network Of People Who Use Drugs (KeNPUD), Kenya
Eurasian Harm Reduction Association (EHRA), Lithuania
Instituto RIA AC, México
LANPUD México, México
Conexiones Psicoactivas, México
Cea Justicia Social, México
Kevin Escalante Carbajal, Independiente, México
Legalize, Netherlands
Mainline, Netherlands

Correlation – European Harm Reduction Network, Netherlands
Transnational Institute (TNI), Netherlands
Radboud university, Netherlands
Safer Drug Policies/Foreningen Tryggere Ruspolitikk, Norway
Norwegian Association for Humane Drug Policy (FHR), Norway
Preventio, Norway
PREKURSOR Foundation, Poland
AREAL, Slovenia
Club Eney, Ukraine
International Drug Policy Consortium, UK
Harm Reduction International, UK
Transform Drug Policy Foundation, UK
Release, UK
Colectivo El Taller, Uruguay
Drug Policy Alliance, USA
StoptheDrugWar.org, USA
Institute for Policy Studies – Drug Policy Project, USA