An Evaluation of the UN's Human Rights and Demand-Oriented Approach to Counter Narcotics Policies

The UN has initiated a demand-oriented approach regarding narcotics and simultaneously has adopted supply-oriented policy, since 1989. This initiative is considered to be the result of some adverse consequences of coercive approaches toward the supply of narcotics. In this regard, this article aims to study the reasons of failure of the supply-oriented approach, and then to describe the elements of the demand-oriented approach of UN regarding narcotics, by using a bibliographical analysis as well as studying the UN orientations and approaches of UN regarding narcotics. The results of the supply-oriented approach to counter narcotics is considered unfavorable, and in some cases wholly adversarial to the objectives. By considering the increasing importance of human rights literature in the world, in general, and in the UN in particular, the scope of countering narcotics is now considered to be overshadowed by human rights, which consequently affected the UN approach to counter narcotics.