Major reforms of the global drug prohibition regime are urgently required to halt the spread of HIV infection, according to the Global Commission on Drug Policy.

The commission, a high level think tank that includes six former presidents, warns that the global war on drugs is driving the HIV pandemic among people who use drugs and their sexual partners.

In a report released last week in London, the commission explains how “repressive drug law enforcement practices force drug users away from public health services and into hidden environments where HIV risk becomes markedly elevated,” whilst “mass incarceration of non-violent drug offenders also plays a …