The society says current drug policies have led to increased crime, violence and the destabilisation of entire states without any evidence that drug use or supply has dropped.
In some parts of the world, such as eastern Europe and central Asia, it says injecting drugs is the main cause for the spread of HIV.
The society is calling for widespread needle and syringe programmes, as well as access to substitution therapy in which illegal drugs are substituted for less harmful substances.

The Vienna Declaration: A global call to action for science-based drug policy

HIV rates are on the rise among Asian women, highlighting the need for new policy priorities, warns the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).

AZT is a type of chemotherapy that was halted as a treatment for cancer because it was too deadly. Not wanting to lose money by tossing out the drug, drug companies then decided to promote it for AIDS.

HIV and AIDS are not the same thing, but the virus can lead to the disease. Learn how in this video.

Human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, is the virus that causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). The virus weakens a person's ability to fight infections and cancer. People with HIV are said to have AIDS when they develop certain infections or cancers or when their CD4 count is less than 200. CD4 count is determined by a blood test in a doctor's office.

Having HIV does not always mean that you have AIDS. It can take many years for people with the virus to develop AIDS. HIV and AIDS cannot be cured. Although...[More]

Many people do not develop symptoms after getting infected with HIV. Some people have a flu-like illness within several days to weeks after exposure to the virus. They complain of fever, headache, tiredness, and enlarged lymph glands in the neck. These symptoms usually disappear on their own within a few weeks.