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Date: April 29, 2024 Mon
Time: 8:38 pm
Time: 8:38 pm
Results for drug decriminalization
4 results foundAuthor: Magson, Jessica Title: Drugs, Crime and decriminalisation: Assessing the impact of drug decriminalisation policies on the efficience and integrity of the criminal justice system Summary: In recent decades a number of countries have moved away from a prohibitionist model of drug control towards policies that prioritise harm reduction and rehabilitation, with the goal of reducing demand and minimising the social and individual harms caused by drug abuse. In Portugal and the Czech Republic, low-threshold possession of any drug is a misdemeanour rather than a criminal offence, diverting users away from the criminal justice system and in the case of Portugal, providing support through newly created Dissuasion Commissions. The authorities in Uruguay have long decriminalised drug possession and are now on the cusp of regulating the supply and distribution of cannabis. Drug use and abuse continues in all three countries but demand has remained stable and notable successes have been observed. In the UK there are also growing calls from frontline practitioners and officials in the criminal justice system for a similar process of diversion and regulation, and we have now reached a stage where significant numbers in the police, courts, prisons and probation services are critical of both the effectiveness and intellectual coherence of the drug laws they are charged with upholding. Set in this context, the report considers how the criminal justice system may be affected by the removal of criminal penalties for possession-only offences, as well as a longer-term shift to supply-side regulation. Drawing on meetings with officials in Portugal, the Czech Republic and Uruguay it explains some of the lessons we can learn from their experiences, as the government works to support recovery and reduce demand in the UK. There are four main findings to this report that together reinforce arguments in support of the diversion of possession cases away from the criminal justice system; Enhanced efficiency and streamlined processes - All the different strands of the system (police, courts, prisons, and probation) should to differing extents make efficiency gains, see a gradual fall in their caseload and a longer-term trend of enhanced trust with the individuals they are working with. The police in particular are likely to see their work dealing with drug users simplified. These improvements depend on reform being enacted with a proper prioritization of diversion to health and social support, attention to practical detail and clear strategic vision. Feasibility - A diversionary system would in the first instance require limited statutory change and fairly minor adjustments to staff procedures, and the UK is in the strong position of being able to draw on and expand existing pilots and national schemes supporting rehabilitation. Opportunities for greater strategic and structural coherence - Effective rehabilitation in Portugal was enabled by a strategic shift towards multidisciplinary oversight, reflecting the complex needs of problematic users and the diverse impact of drug abuse on areas such as health, employment, education and housing. The diversion of possession offences is unlikely to have a significant impact on rehabilitation rates unless combined with a broader set of reforms that allow health and welfare agencies to better identify and provide support to problematic users. There is a case for adjusting oversight responsibilities in the UK in a similar way, to better align policy with responses on the ground. International alignment - There is a clear international shift towards a reassessment of approaches to drug control. We know that reform is best achieved incrementally. The UK is now in a strong position to reform its possession laws, better preparing the country for a possible future of supply-side regulation. Proactive engagement would allow the UK to feed in its well known rule of law expertise in helping to shape multilateral decisions that could have a huge bearing on the nation's own domestic landscape. Details: Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, 2014. 52p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 2, 2015 at: http://www.wcmt.org.uk/sites/default/files/migrated-reports/1200_1.pdf Year: 2014 Country: International URL: http://www.wcmt.org.uk/sites/default/files/migrated-reports/1200_1.pdf Shelf Number: 134737 Keywords: Drug Control PolicyDrug DecriminalizationDrug EnforcementDrug LegalizationDrug Reform Policy |
Author: McCulloch, Lizzie Title: Black Sheep: An Investigation into Existing Support for Problematic Cannabis Use Summary: Black Sheep reveals that a legal regulated market would better support people experiencing problematic cannabis use as the sector is lacking a clear, effective strategy for linking people into support and guidance. With the current illegal and unregulated market reducing the visibility of cannabis users, practitioners have reported that "we're just fumbling around in the dark trying to find them". Among people showing signs of cannabis dependence, only 14.6% have ever received treatment, help or support specifically because of their drug use, and 5.5% had received this in the past six months. Details: London: Volteface, 2016. 38p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 7, 2017 at: http://volteface.me/app/uploads/2017/02/BlackSheeporiginal.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://volteface.me/app/uploads/2017/02/BlackSheeporiginal.pdf Shelf Number: 145130 Keywords: CannabisDrug Abuse and AdditionDrug DecriminalizationMarijuana |
Author: Global Commission on Drug Policy Title: Advancing Drug Policy Reform: A New Approach to Decriminalization Summary: Every year, hundreds of millions of people around the world use illicit drugs. Many do so for enjoyment, some to relieve pain, while others use for traditional, cultural or religious reasons. Despite the fact that drug use is both widespread and non-violent, the predominant approach of governments around the world is to criminalize those who use and/or possess drugs. Such policies are enacted with the false hope that, combined with efforts targeting the production and supply of drugs, the drug market and use can be eliminated. The harms created through implementing punitive drug laws cannot be overstated when it comes to both their severity and scope. On a daily basis, human rights abuses - from the death penalty and extrajudicial killings, to inhuman and coerced drug treatment - are committed around the world in the name of drug control, while strict drug laws have escalated public health crises in the form of HIV and hepatitis C epidemics. Furthermore, in a number of countries drug laws have caused severe prison overcrowding. These extensive damages wrought by a punitive approach to drugs and drug use fundamentally undermine the principle of human dignity and the rule of law, fracturing the relationship between States and their populations. In order to begin mitigating these widespread harms, governments must as a matter of urgency decriminalize the possession of drugs for personal use. Decriminalization is typically understood as the removal of a criminal record for drug possession for personal use offenses, with the optional imposition of civil penalties such as fines or administrative sanctions, or no penalty at all. Though some governments have already taken this approach, only a small number have implemented policies that have brought about positive outcomes for people who use drugs and society as a whole. What's more, these governments typically rely on penalizing people with civil sanctions. This approach does not go far enough. The Commission believes that for the principle of human dignity and the rule of law to be firmly upheld, there must be no penalty whatsoever imposed for low-level possession and/or consumption offenses. Beyond decriminalizing the possession of drugs for personal use, governments must implement alternatives to punishment for many low-level actors in the drug trade, including those who engage in social supply, drug couriers, and cultivators of illicit crops. Many of these people engage in the trade non-violently and may do so to alleviate their severe socio-economic marginalization. Punishing these groups is unjust and only serves to heighten their vulnerability. Ultimately, no longer criminalizing people who use drugs and addressing low-level actors with proportionate responses should be considered as a step toward bringing illicit drug markets under control through sensible regulation. Only then can the societal destruction caused by drug prohibition be properly mitigated. Drug use is, and always has been, a reality in all of our societies. For too long governments have waged a misguided war against the drug market and people who use drugs, handing down sanctions that are disproportionate, unjust and wholly unnecessary. The evidence of just how harmful punitive drug laws are is irrefutable. Governments can no longer ignore the need for a new approach. Details: Geneva, SWIT: The Commission, 2016. 44p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 13, 2017 at: http://www.globalcommissionondrugs.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/GCDP-Report-2016-ENGLISH.pdf Year: 2016 Country: International URL: http://www.globalcommissionondrugs.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/GCDP-Report-2016-ENGLISH.pdf Shelf Number: 145125 Keywords: Drug Abuse and AddictionDrug DecriminalizationDrug EnforcementDrug Reform PolicyIllicit Drugs |
Author: Drug Policy Alliance Title: It's Time for the U.S. to Decriminalize Drug Use and Possession Summary: By any measure and every metric, the U.S. war on drugs - a constellation of laws and policies that seeks to prevent the use of certain drugs, primarily through punishment and coercion - has been a catastrophic failure. Indeed, federal and state policies that are designed to be "tough" on people who use and sell illegal drugs have helped over-fill our jails and prisons, permanently branded millions of otherwise law-abiding civilians as "criminals", and exacerbated drug-related death, disease and suffering - all while failing at their stated aims. This report offers a roadmap for how to begin to unwind our failed drug war. It focuses on one practical step that can and should be taken to avoid many of the harms that flow from punitive prohibitionist drug laws and to promote proven, effective health-based interventions. Drug decriminalization is a critical next step toward achieving a rational drug policy that puts science and public health before punishment and incarceration. Decades of evidence has clearly demonstrated that decriminalization is a sensible path forward that would reap vast human and fiscal benefits, while protecting families and communities. This report is the product of a comprehensive review of the public health and criminology literature, an analysis of drug policies in the U.S. and abroad, and input from experts in the fields of drug policy and criminal justice. By highlighting the benefits of eliminating criminal penalties for drug use and possession, we seek to provide policymakers, community leaders and advocates with evidence-based options for a new approach. Details: New York: The Alliance, 2017. 44p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 2, 2017 at: http://www.drugpolicy.org/sites/default/files/documents/Drug_Policy_Alliance_Time_to_Decriminalize_Report_July_2017.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: http://www.drugpolicy.org/sites/default/files/documents/Drug_Policy_Alliance_Time_to_Decriminalize_Report_July_2017.pdf Shelf Number: 147019 Keywords: Drug DecriminalizationDrug Legalization Drug Policy War on Drugs |