Drug policy in Portugal: the benefits of decriminalizing drug use

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 depend...

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Bibliographische Detailangaben
1. Verfasser: Domosławski, Artur 1967- (VerfasserIn)
Format: Buch
Sprache:English
Veröffentlicht: [S.l.] Open Society Foundations 2011
Schlagworte:
Zusammenfassung: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. This report 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
Beschreibung:Acknowledgments. -- Executive summary. -- I. Introduction. -- II. Portugal before 2001. -- III. A new philosophy toward drug policy. -- IV. Depenalization, decriminalization, and legalization. -- V. A new philosophy in action. -- VI. The attitude of the police. -- VII. Advantages and drawbacks. -- VIII. Drug use and the current policy. -- IX. Conclusions. -- About the author
Includes bibliographical references
Beschreibung:51 S.
ISBN:9781936133512