Psychedelia.dk :: Vis emne - Portugal drug law show results ten years on, experts say

AFP - Health experts in Portugal said Friday that Portugal's decision 10 years ago to decriminalise drug use and treat addicts rather than punishing them is an experiment that has worked.

"There is no doubt that the phenomenon of addiction is in decline in Portugal," said Joao Goulao, President of the Institute of Drugs and Drugs Addiction, a press conference to mark the 10th anniversary of the law.

The number of addicts considered "problematic" -- those who repeatedly use "hard" drugs and intravenous users -- had fallen by half since the early 1990s, when the figure was estimated at around 100,000 people, Goulao said.

Other factors had also played their part however, Goulao, a medical doctor added.

"This development can not only be attributed to decriminalisation but to a confluence of treatment and risk reduction policies."

Portugal's holistic approach had also led to a "spectacular" reduction in the number of infections among intravenous users and a significant drop in drug-related crimes, he added.

A law that became active on July 1, 2001 did not legalise drug use, but forced users caught with banned substances to appear in front of special addiction panels rather than in a criminal court.

The panels composed of psychologists, judges and social workers recommended action based on the specifics of each case.

Since then, government panels have recommended a response based largely on whether the individual is an occasional drug user or an addict.

Of the nearly 40,000 people currently being treated, "the vast majority of problematic users are today supported by a system that does not treat them as delinquents but as sick people," Goulao said.

In a report published last week, the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) said Portugal had dealt with this issue "in a pragmatic and innovative way."

Drug use statistics in Portugal are generally "below the European average and much lower than its only European neighbour, Spain," the report also said.

"The changes that were made in Portugal provide an interesting before-and-after study on the possible effects of decriminalisation," EMCDDA said.

Forfatter:	Bærnelin [ 02 jul 2011 12:18 ]
Titel:	Portugal drug law show results ten years on, experts say
http://www.france24.com/en/20110701-por ... perts-say# France24 skrev: AFP - Health experts in Portugal said Friday that Portugal's decision 10 years ago to decriminalise drug use and treat addicts rather than punishing them is an experiment that has worked. "There is no doubt that the phenomenon of addiction is in decline in Portugal," said Joao Goulao, President of the Institute of Drugs and Drugs Addiction, a press conference to mark the 10th anniversary of the law. The number of addicts considered "problematic" -- those who repeatedly use "hard" drugs and intravenous users -- had fallen by half since the early 1990s, when the figure was estimated at around 100,000 people, Goulao said. Other factors had also played their part however, Goulao, a medical doctor added. "This development can not only be attributed to decriminalisation but to a confluence of treatment and risk reduction policies." Portugal's holistic approach had also led to a "spectacular" reduction in the number of infections among intravenous users and a significant drop in drug-related crimes, he added. A law that became active on July 1, 2001 did not legalise drug use, but forced users caught with banned substances to appear in front of special addiction panels rather than in a criminal court. The panels composed of psychologists, judges and social workers recommended action based on the specifics of each case. Since then, government panels have recommended a response based largely on whether the individual is an occasional drug user or an addict. Of the nearly 40,000 people currently being treated, "the vast majority of problematic users are today supported by a system that does not treat them as delinquents but as sick people," Goulao said. In a report published last week, the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) said Portugal had dealt with this issue "in a pragmatic and innovative way." Drug use statistics in Portugal are generally "below the European average and much lower than its only European neighbour, Spain," the report also said. "The changes that were made in Portugal provide an interesting before-and-after study on the possible effects of decriminalisation," EMCDDA said.

Forfatter:	Steve McQueen [ 07 jul 2011 18:53 ]
Titel:	Re: Portugal drug law show results ten years on, experts say
Hvem fanden havde troede at behandling, individuel hjælp og medmenneskelighed ville virke bedre end strenge straffe? Ihvertfald ikke mig. Men helt seriøst må man håbe at det samme snart går op for den danske regering.

Forfatter:	Arthur Spooner [ 07 jul 2011 18:57 ]
Titel:	Re: Portugal drug law show results ten years on, experts say
Det var satme en solstråle historie! Tak for det

Forfatter:	xun [ 09 jul 2011 14:41 ]
Titel:	Re: Portugal drug law show results ten years on, experts say
Hvor skal man forwarde den artikel hen? Nogen der har bertel haarders mail?

Forfatter:	Rellek [ 09 jul 2011 15:07 ]
Titel:	Re: Portugal drug law show results ten years on, experts say
Smukt - Men der er stadig ikke stemmer i det her hjemme, så det bliver desværre nok ikke aktuelt. Det viser vist meget godt kontrasten.

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Portugal drug law show results ten years on, experts say https://psychedelia.dk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=83&t=37416	Side 1 af 1

Forfatter:	Alice [ 16 aug 2011 21:50 ]
Titel:	Re: Portugal drug law show results ten years on, experts say
None of the fears promulgated by opponents of Portuguese decriminalization has come to fruition, whereas many of the benefits predicted by drug policymakers from instituting a decriminalization regime have been realized. While drug addiction, usage, and associated pathologies continue to skyrocket in many EU states, those problems—in virtually every relevant category—have been either contained or measurably improved within Portugal since 2001. In certain key demographic segments, drug usage has decreased in absolute terms in the decriminalization framework, even as usage across the EU continues to increase, including in those states that continue to take the hardest line in criminalizing drug possession and usage. By freeing its citizens from the fear of prosecution and imprisonment for drug usage, Portugal has dramatically improved its ability to encourage drug addicts to avail themselves of treatment. The resources that were previously devoted to prosecuting and imprisoning drug addicts are now available to provide treatment programs to addicts. Those developments, along with Portugal’s shift to a harm-reduction approach, have dramatically improved drugrelated social ills, including drug-caused mortalities and drug-related disease transmission. Ideally, treatment programs would be strictly voluntary, but Portugal’s program is certainly preferable to criminalization. http://www.cato.org/pubs/wtpapers/green ... epaper.pdf DET er fandme trist. Lol fordi den rapport ikke kom i medierne.

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