The IDPC Drug Policy Guide brings together global evidence and examples of best practice to provide guidance on the review, design and implementation of drug policies. It is designed to assist national policymakers in the process of developing humane and effective drug policies. Each chapter of the Guide introduces a specific type of policy challenge, analyzes existing evidence and experiences of different countries, and presents advice and recommendations for developing effective policy responses.

Alabama’s 2006 chemical endangerment law was passed to deter people from bringing children to places where controlled substances are manufactured, such as methamphetamine laboratories. The statute makes no mention of pregnancy, pregnant women, or unborn children.  That has not stopped prosecutors in Alabama from arresting and prosecuting over 60 Alabama mothers under this law for continuing their pregnancies to term in spite of a drug problem.

The Global Commission, whose members include Kofi Annan and four former presidents, calls the drug war a failure and advocates a paradigm shift in global drug policy. The commission's bold recommendations include encouraging governments to experiment with legalization of drugs, particularly marijuana; putting an end to drug policies being driven by ideology and politics; and directing resources away from arresting and incarcerating so many people for drug law violations.