HRDP Academic Publications
From equivalence of standards to equivalence of objectives: The entitlement of prisoners to health care standards higher than those outside prisons, Rick Lines (2006)
Abstract It is generally accepted that people in prison have a right to a standard of health care equivalent to that available outside of prisons. This ‘‘principle of equivalence’’ is one that enjoys broad consensus among international health and human rights instruments and organisations. However, given the extreme health problems evident in… Read more
Injecting drugs into human rights advocacy, R. Lines and R. Elliott (2007)
This commentary explores the conflict within the United Nations system when it comes to issues of human rights and drugs. Specifically, it addresses the challenges of advocating for harm reduction within the UN drug control system, and the opportunities for utilising UN human rights mechanisms as a tool. Read more
Recalibrating the Regime: The need for the human rights-based approach to international drug policy, D. Barrett, R. Lines, R. Schleifer, R. Elliott and D. R. Bewley-Taylor (2008)
The report looks at the growing tensions between the United Nations drug control system and international human rights law. It highlights that, despite numerous instances of human rights abuses perpetrated in the name of drug control, and the status of human rights in international law, there has been little engagement with this issue by the… Read more
The right to health of prisoners in international human rights law, Rick Lines (2008)
Abstract This paper explores the health rights of prisoners as defined in international law, and the mechanisms that have been used to ensure the rights of persons in detention to realise the highest attainable standard of health. It examines this right as articulated within United Nations and regional human rights treaties, non-binding or… Read more
The United Nations and Drug Policy: Towards a Human Rights Based Approach, Damon Barrett and Manfred Nowak (2009)
Abstract In 1945, the United Nations was established to 'save succeeding generations from the scourge of war.' Today, the language of war has been adopted for policy objectives. The 'war on drugs' is now more widespread and higher in financial and human cost than ever, and has impacted negatively across borders and across human rights… Read more
Children who use Drugs: The Need for More Clarity on State Obligations in International Law
Abstract Drug use among children has two systems of international law that may be brought to bear to ensure that States take measures to protect children from drug related harms. Neither, however, appears to have been adequately applied to the issue. This commentary raises a number of questions related specifically to the UN drug conventions… Read more
A "Most Serious Crime"?-The Death Penalty for Drug Offenses and International Law, Rick Lines (2010)
This article examines the use of capital punishment for drug offenses and wether the practice meets the threshold of "most serious crimes" established in the ICCPR. The article also examines the definition of "most serious crimes" as interpreted by institutions in an effort to determine if an international consensus exists for including drug… Read more
International Journal on Human Rights and Drug Policy, Vol 1, 2010
Journal Vol 1 (PDF, 905 KB) Open in new tab International Journal on Human Rights and Drug Policy , Vol I, 2010 ISSN 2046-4843 (print)ISSN 2046-4851 (online) ISSN 2046-4843 (print) ISSN 2046-4851 (online) CONTENTS Editorial R. Lines, ‘ Deliver us from evil’? – The Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 50 years on (PDF, 175… Read more
Editorial: ‘Deliver us from evil’? – The Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 50 years on, Rick Lines (2010)
Excerpt This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Single Convention on Narcotics Drugs. Ratified in 1961, the Single Convention was the first of three United Nations treaties enshrining the international community’s approach to drug control. The original purpose of the Convention was a ‘Transfer to the United Nations of the powers exercised by… Read more
Drug Control, Human Rights, and the Right to the Highest Attainable Standard of Health: A Reply to Saul Takahashi
Abstract: A recent article in this journal [Human Rights Quarterly] challenged claims that a human rights framework should be applied to drug control. This article questions the author's assertions and reframes them in the context of socio-legal drug scholarship, aiming to build on the discourse concerning human rights and drug use. It is… Read more