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Date: April 29, 2024 Mon
Time: 9:21 pm
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Results for drug policy (portugal)
4 results foundAuthor: Domoslawski, Artur Title: Drug Policy in Portugal: The Benefits of Decriminalizing Drug Use Summary: In 2000, the Portuguese government responded to widespread public concern over drugs by rejecting a "war on drugs" approach and instead decriminalized drug possession and use. It further rebuffed convention by placing the responsibility for decreasing drug demand as well as managing dependence under the Ministry of Health, rather than the Ministry of Justice. With this, the official response toward drug-dependent persons shifted from viewing them as criminals, to treating them as patients. Drug Policy in Portugal: The Benefits of Decriminalizing Drug Use is the second in a series of reports by the Open Society Foundations' Global Drug Policy Program that documents positive examples of drug policy reform around the world (the first being From the Mountaintops: What the World Can Learn from Drug Policy Change in Switzerland). Drug Policy in Portugal describes the process, context, ideas, and values that enabled Portugal to make the transition to a public health response to drug use and possession. Now, with a decade of experience, Portugal provides a valuable case study of how decriminalization coupled with evidence-based strategies can reduce drug consumption, dependence, recidivism, and HIV infection, and create safer communities for all. Details: Warsaw, Poland: Global Drug Policy Program, Open Society Foundations, 2011. 52p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 3, 2011 at: http://www.soros.org/initiatives/drugpolicy/articles_publications/publications/drug-policy-in-portugal-20110829/drug-policy-in-portugal-20110829.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Portugal URL: http://www.soros.org/initiatives/drugpolicy/articles_publications/publications/drug-policy-in-portugal-20110829/drug-policy-in-portugal-20110829.pdf Shelf Number: 122963 Keywords: Drug Abuse and AddictionDrug Abuse PolicyDrug Abuse TreatmentDrug Policy (Portugal) |
Author: Greenwald, Glenn Title: Drug Decriminalization in Portugal: Lessons for Creating Fair and Successful Drug Policies Summary: On July 1, 2001, a nationwide law in Portugal took effect that decriminalized all drugs, including cocaine and heroin. Under the new legal framework, all drugs were “decriminalized,” not “legalized.” Thus, drug possession for personal use and drug usage itself are still legally prohibited, but violations of those prohibitions are deemed to be exclusively administrative violations and are removed completely from the criminal realm. Drug trafficking continues to be prosecuted as a criminal offense. While other states in the European Union have developed various forms of de facto decriminalization— whereby substances perceived to be less serious (such as cannabis) rarely lead to criminal prosecution—Portugal remains the only EU member state with a law explicitly declaring drugs to be “decriminalized.” Because more than seven years have now elapsed since enactment of Portugal’s decriminalization system, there are ample data enabling its effects to be assessed. Notably, decriminalization has become increasingly popular in Portugal since 2001. Except for some far-right politicians, very few domestic political factions are agitating for a repeal of the 2001 law. And while there is a widespread perception that bureaucratic changes need to be made to Portugal’s decriminalization framework to make it more efficient and effective, there is no real debate about whether drugs should once again be criminalized. More significantly, none of the nightmare scenarios touted by preenactment decriminalization opponents— from rampant increases in drug usage among the young to the transformation of Lisbon into a haven for “drug tourists”—has occurred. The political consensus in favor of decriminalization is unsurprising in light of the relevant empirical data. Those data indicate that decriminalization has had no adverse effect on drug usage rates in Portugal, which, in numerous categories, are now among the lowest in the EU, particularly when compared with states with stringent criminalization regimes. Although postdecriminalization usage rates have remained roughly the same or even decreased slightly when compared with other EU states, drug-related pathologies—such as sexually transmitted diseases and deaths due to drug usage—have decreased dramatically. Drug policy experts attribute those positive trends to the enhanced ability of the Portuguese government to offer treatment programs to its citizens—enhancements made possible, for numerous reasons, by decriminalization. This report will begin with an examination of the Portuguese decriminalization framework as set forth in law and in terms of how it functions in practice. Also examined is the political climate in Portugal both pre- and postdecriminalization with regard to drug policy, and the impetus that led that nation to adopt decriminalization. The report then assesses Portuguese drug policy in the context of the EU’s approach to drugs. The varying legal frameworks, as well as the overall trend toward liberalization, are examined to enable a meaningful comparative assessment between Portuguese data and data from other EU states. The report also sets forth the data concerning drug-related trends in Portugal both pre- and postdecriminalization. The effects of decriminalization in Portugal are examined both in absolute terms and in comparisons with other states that continue to criminalize drugs, particularly within the EU. The data show that, judged by virtually every metric, the Portuguese decriminalization framework has been a resounding success. Within this success lie self-evident lessons that should guide drug policy debates around the world. Details: Washington, DC: Cato Institute, 2009. 38p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 30, 2012 at: http://www.cato.org/pubs/wtpapers/greenwald_whitepaper.pdf Year: 2009 Country: Portugal URL: http://www.cato.org/pubs/wtpapers/greenwald_whitepaper.pdf Shelf Number: 125102 Keywords: DecriminalizationDrug AbuseDrug Policy (Portugal)Drug Reform |
Author: Coelho, Manuel Pinto Title: Drugs: The Portuguese Fallacy and the Absurd Medicalization of Europe Summary: Drug decriminalization in Portugal is a failure despite of various reports published all over the world pretending the opposite. There is a complete and absurd campaign of an unacceptable manipulation of Portuguese drug policy. Underestimating the readers understanding and suggesting the contrary to what facts and numbers show unequivocally, a book written by a writer/lawyer fluent in Portuguese for an American "libertarian" think-tank a long time advocating drug legalization - Cato Institute - has been carried out naively by some usually responsible national and international press all over the world, that boosting the proliferation of the Portuguese "good news" are dangerously distorting the projection of the reality. On the other hand, is very preoccupant indeed the appeal, among others, of two notorious personalities on the field of drug dependence that among others are inviting the world "to move human rights into the mainstream of drug control" and "place health at the core of drug policy". Applying in their speech the two favorite arguments the two "jewels of the crown" of the well known economic-social-political group that insistently and restlessly wishes at any cost to legalize drugs - "health" and "human rights" - those high representative officials amazingly seems they did not find the strength enough to resist the pressure and, capitulating to that lobby group are opening dangerously the door to the medicalization of drug dependency. Surprisingly the very recent 2010 EMCDDA Report, emphasizing the use of substitution drugs as main tool to tackle opioid dependence, shows clearly that Europe seems wishing to go in the same way. Details: Association for a Drug Free Portugal, 2013. 33p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 18, 2015 at: http://www.drugfree.org.au/fileadmin/library/Policies__Legislation_and_law/ThePortugueseDrugFallacyReport.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Portugal URL: http://www.drugfree.org.au/fileadmin/library/Policies__Legislation_and_law/ThePortugueseDrugFallacyReport.pdf Shelf Number: 134954 Keywords: Drug Abuse and AddictionDrug LegalizationDrug Policy (Portugal) |
Author: Murkin, George Title: Drug decriminalisation in Portugal: setting the record straight Summary: Portugal decriminalised the possession of all drugs for personal use in 2001, and there now exists a significant body of evidence on what happened following the move. Both opponents and advocates of drug policy reform are sometimes guilty of misrepresenting this evidence, with the former ignoring or incorrectly disputing the benefits of reform, and the latter tending to overstate them. The reality is that Portugal's drug situation has improved significantly in several key areas. Most notably, HIV infections and drug-related deaths have decreased, while the dramatic rise in use feared by some has failed to materialise. However, such improvements are not solely the result of the decriminalisation policy; Portugal's shift towards a more health-centred approach to drugs, as well as wider health and social policy changes, are equally, if not more, responsible for the positive changes observed. Drawing on the most up-to-date evidence, this briefing clarifies the extent of Portugal's achievement, and debunks some of the erroneous claims made about the country's innovative approach to drugs. Details: Bristol, UK: Transform, 2014. 4p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 18, 2015 at: http://www.tdpf.org.uk/blog/drug-decriminalisation-portugal-setting-record-straight Year: 2014 Country: Portugal URL: http://www.tdpf.org.uk/blog/drug-decriminalisation-portugal-setting-record-straight Shelf Number: 134957 Keywords: Drug Abuse and AddictionDrug LegalizationDrug Policy (Portugal)Drug Reform |