Dr Philip Robins writes on the 'Americanisation' of drugs policy in the Middle East

Philip Robins has written an article for openDemocracy (17 March) entitled 'In the Middle East, the prospects of a kinder drug policy remain distant'.

Philip says, "Rightly or wrongly, the Middle East enjoys a reputation for being a region that bucks the world trends. Nowhere is this more marked than in relation to illicit drugs. While liberal commentators look forward with some expectation to the United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) this April, with the possibility that at very least the global proscription regime will soften, in the Middle East the opposite seems to be happening. In countries as diverse as Dubai, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, the ‘Americanisation’ of global policy seems as engrained and as inflexible as ever. "

The full article can be read here: https://www.opendemocracy.net/drugpolicy/philip-robins/in-middle-east-prospects-of-kinder-drug-policy-remain-distant