Often people who use or inject drugs are seen as criminals, with drug abuse and trafficking being crimes that should receive heavy punishments. But has the war on drugs pushed us to the point where the stigma and discrimination against people who use drugs is hindering us from effectively tackling what is a public health problem as well? 

In conjunction with International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, commemorated annually on 26 June (that’s yesterday), we’ll be diving into what a people-centred approach to drug policies should look like. Joining me to do that is Dr Afiqah Mohd Salleh Senior Lecturer in the Dept of Social and Preventive Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, and she’s also part of the Centre of Excellence for Research in AIDS, also known as CERiA.

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