Hundreds of thousands of people are detained, today, in private or public drug rehabilitation facilities – some in application of sanctions, some after being coerced, others under the false pretence of consent. As denounced by the Working Group, detainees often undergo non-evidence based treatment centred around violence, humiliation, and abuse; their right to health is systematically violated, and governments themselves acknowledged the ineffectiveness of such approach.

We welcome the Working Group position that courts – including drug courts – should never be tasked with diverting people to treatment, and that drug rehabilitation as an alternative to incarceration is in itself coercive and thus arbitrary.