Exciting momentum is building at the Council of Europe (CoE) as we challenge the human rights crisis embedded in cannabis prohibition. In June 2025, AROD staged our landmark Requiem for the Rule of Law protest and exhibition outside the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in Strasbourg.

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This powerful event—featuring symbolic displays, a custom documentary, and direct advocacy—highlighted six decades of prohibition's failures, including 1 million punitive sanctions in Norway alone, a €1.75 billion black market, and an estimated 400,000 global deaths annually with zero public health benefits. The French police's professional cooperation ensured a safe space for civil society, exemplifying democratic principles.

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To amplify our call, we share targeted correspondence with key CoE leaders, urging them to confront "democratic backsliding" and "rising impunity" as warned in the CoE's 2025 Report: Towards a New Democratic Pact for Europe. These letters build on our foundational Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report: Norway’s Cannabis Laws – A Human Rights Crisis Without Legitimate Purpose, which documents systemic ECHR violations (Articles 3, 5, 6, 8, 13, 14, and 18) and Norway's Constitution (§§ 89, 94, 102):