UNGASS 2016 on drugs, the first challenge for HIV advocates in the post‐2015 era

There is a general consensus among drug policy advocates that drug use per se is not an issue for the post‐2015 development agenda, although if the overarching goal is to “attain a healthy life for all” (proposed goal 3) the most relevant target would be to improve coverage of harm reduction services. Stigma and discrimination, fear of arbitrary arrest, police harassment and imprisonment drive people away from health services and deter people from accessing life‐saving harm reduction services, such as needle and syringe programmes, which in turn is exacerbating HIV and hepatitis C risks [ 8]. Global harm reduction advocates have begun to call for governments to spend just 10 cents, out of every USD 1 currently spent on drug law enforcement, on health, development and human rights to have a real and sustained impact on the HIV and hepatitis C epidemics among PWID.