The Norwegian organization AROD has launched a new UN campaign in which cannabis prohibition is framed as a human rights issue. The organization wants UN human rights bodies to take a clearer position against criminalization and in favor of a regulated model.
Letter to the UN High Commissioner
The Alliance for Rights-Oriented Drug Policies, AROD, states that on January 1, 2026, it sent a formal letter to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk. In the letter, the UN is urged to coordinate efforts against cannabis prohibition, which AROD argues contributes to violations of the rights to liberty, health, and a fair trial.
According to AROD, the campaign builds on the organization’s previous submission to the International Criminal Court, ICC, from December 29, 2025, as well as a 2025 report on truth and reconciliation. AROD describes prohibition policy as a systemic failure driven by moral panic and says it has caused extensive legal and social harm.
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Roar Mikalsen and civil resistance
AROD is led by Norwegian rights activist Roar Mikalsen, who for several years has used civil disobedience to test the legal foundation of cannabis prohibition. The most high-profile action took place on the international cannabis day, April 20, 2024, when Mikalsen opened a cannabis shop and café in Oslo with open sales. The action was intended to force a legal review of whether prohibition policy is compatible with human rights. The shop was only open for a short time before police intervened and shut down the operation.
Several UN bodies contacted
AROD says it has also sent separate letters to several parts of the UN system. Recipients include the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, the Special Rapporteur on the right to health, the Special Rapporteur on torture, the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, UNODC, and the UN Human Rights Council.
In the letters, the organization links cannabis prohibition to issues such as detention, compulsory treatment, legal certainty, illicit markets, and harm to vulnerable groups. AROD also wants truth mechanisms that document past harms and open the door to redress.
The UN has already sharpened its tone on drug policy
AROD’s campaign aligns with a broader development within the UN’s human rights work. In 2023, the UN Human Rights Office published a report on human rights challenges in global drug policy. Volker Türk has since said that policies based on repression and criminalization have not solved the problems, and that countries should consider rights-based models, harm reduction, and responsible regulation.
Türk has also emphasized that criminal justice models can obstruct access to care, reinforce stigma, and contribute to overcrowded prisons. He has stressed that voluntary treatment, harm reduction, and social support should be at the center.
Cannabis prohibition framed as a legal issue
The central point of AROD’s new campaign is that cannabis prohibition should not primarily be treated as a criminal policy issue, but as a matter of human rights. The organization argues that the state must be able to show that punishment, police measures, and legal proceedings are necessary, proportionate, and compatible with fundamental freedoms and rights.
For the cannabis debate, this marks a clearer shift from morality and control toward law, public health, and accountability. If UN human rights bodies move forward with AROD’s demands, the issue could gain greater significance in European legal systems as well, where national courts often rely on international human rights principles.
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