demonstration at 2009 UN drug session, Vienna

British publications have gotten their hands on a leaked UN document that reveals fundamental splits among nations as the international organization prepares for the UN General Assembly Special Session on drugs in 2016. Much, but not all, criticism of the status quo is coming from Latin America.

Read the Guardian's article here: Leaked Paper Reveals UN Split Over War on Drugs

• Among the countries seeking specific reformist changes in the UN's drug stance:
• Ecuador wants language recognizing that the world needs to look beyond prohibition.
• Venezuela wants language addressing the economic implications of drug prohibition.
• Norway wants language that includes a critical assessment of the "so-called war on drugs."
• Switzerland wants language that recognizes the public health consequences of current policies.
• The European Union wants language emphasizing drug treatment and care over incarceration.

It's been little over a half-century since the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs codified the global drug prohibition system. The consensus represented by the 1961 treaty is now, at long last, crumbling.

Update: Bill Clinton supports countries being able to make their own decisions about prohibition.