The war on illegal drugs has failed and people who use them should no longer be criminalised, according to the UN's independent investigator on physical and mental health.
On Monday Anand Grover told the general assembly committee dealing with rights issues that "the current international system of drug control has focused on creating a drug-free world, almost exclusively through use of law enforcement policies and criminal sanctions.
"Mounting evidence, however, suggests this approach has failed," Mr Grover observed.
He said that while the use of illegal drugs "may have a pernicious effect on individual lives and society, this excessively punitive regime has not achieved its stated public health goals, and has resulted in countless human rights violations."
Mr Grover advocated the decriminalisation of drug use.