The first time Corey saw his daughter was in a courtroom, a two-week old asleep in her grandmother’s arms. It was another year before he could finally hold her, in a visitation room at Louisiana’s infamous Angola prison. His daughter, Charlee, is four now and thinks she visits her father at work. “She asks when I’m going to get off work and come see her,” he says.

A picture of Corey, taken in 2014. © 2015 Private

Corey is one of thousands of Americans serving long prison terms for drug possession—in his case 17 years without possibility of parole for a half-ounce of marijuana, the weight of 3.5 sugar packets. Because of prior drug possession convictions, he was sentenced as a “habitual offender.”

By the time Corey comes home Charlee could be almost 17.

All U.S. states criminalize drug possession and many aggressively prosecute drug users. Over the past several months I have interviewed 150 people, including Corey, prosecuted for the sole offense of possessing a controlled substance that was for personal use, not for sale. Their punishment often begins long before formal conviction—and lasts long after their sentence is served. In addition to harsh criminal penalties many suffer family separation, job loss, housing problems, financial debt, health complications, and deep insecurity and stigmatization.

Shortly after Corey was sentenced, Louisiana amended its marijuana laws. But the changes aren’t retroactive, and Corey can’t petition the governor for clemency until he has served at least 10 years.

While decreased sanctions for marijuana in many states is a welcome move, around the country possession of “harder” drugs like cocaine, heroin, meth, and pills is met with harsher penalties.

Human Rights Watch opposes the criminalization of drug possession for personal use. This practice violates the right to autonomy and is inherently disproportionate. It is also a waste of resources—not only of government budgets and personnel but, more importantly, of the human lives it impacts. Instead of criminalizing drug possession, countries should ramp up access to effective treatment and other health services for those users who need them.

In two weeks the United States will participate in a rare United Nations General Assembly Special Session on the World Drug Problem. At the last one—in 1998—the United States led the charge for harsh law enforcement approaches to drugs and drug use. This is the approach that is responsible for many of the abuses chronicled on this blog. This time the US government should set a positive example and commit to the full decriminalization of personal use of drugs.