Uruguay’s National Drug Board released a report to the High Commissioner of Human Rights of the United Nations on shifting drug policy toward a human rights perspective.

The initiative [PDF], proposed on the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, consists of 10 guidelines. One point decriminalizes drug use and ends the death penalty for it. Another point emphasizes respect for different cultures and plans to reduce drug use.

The report found the current approach violating rights of citizens, and a new way of thinking was needed:

The rights of life, liberty and personal security have been violated by [current] drug policy.  Government intervention threatens fundamental rights like when prohibition produces—an unintended effect—powerful and violent illegal markets that threaten the a person’s and community’s security without the state adopting effective protection measures.

Juan Andres Roballo, head of the National Drug Board, stressed the importance of patience in regards to overall drug policy:...