State Violence in Narcotic Drug Governance: A Call for Harm Reduction and Human Rights Protection

Abstract

This reflection piece sheds light on expanded state violence in global narcotic governance, offering valuable insights to perpetrator studies. It expands the focus by acknowledging the state as a collective perpetrator within the framework of global narcotic regulation. With its near-monopoly on the use of force, the state possesses significant resources to inflict violence on citizens, leading to increased number of civilian fatalities, suffering, and other forms of physical integrity rights abuses. Additionally, this piece highlights the role of structural factors in facilitating state violence and the spread of narcotic drugs, emphasizing socioeconomic inequalities and systemic discrimination perpetuated by a militaristic approach to narcotic politics. Lastly, it emphasizes the disproportionate impact of state violence and drug policies on marginalized communities, urging an examination of how coercive state agencies deliberately target minoritized groups.