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Addiction Policy | Drug Policy in Portugal: The Benefits of Decriminalizing Drug Use | PDF

Summary/Abstract

Portugal proves that decriminalization does not increase drug use. To the contrary,
it has demonstrated that humanitarian and pragmatic strategies can, in fact, reduce drug
consumption, addiction, recidivism, and HIV infection.

Content

Foreword (see Attached PDF to Read Entire Report) Fifty years after the first UN Convention on Drugs, the debate over the enforcement-based approach that dominates drug policies worldwide is heating up. Confronted with the disastrous effects of these policies, many countries are rethinking the repressive strategies that have failed to limit the supply and use of drugs and have often devastated individuals and societies. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has repeatedly confirmed in its World Drug Reports that efforts to eradicate and control the production of illegal drugs have largely been futile. What is more important, there is mounting evidence that repressive drug policies fail to take into account the human factor. Prisons worldwide are filled with people incarcerated on drug-related charges, many of whom were driven to drugs or drug dealing due to addiction or poverty. High incarceration levels not only have a negative impact on those who are incarcerated, but also place huge economic burdens on their families and societies. Frequently,the punishment is vastly disproportionate, with lengthy prison stays handed out for minor offenses. Responding to drug use and possession with the tools of law enforcement means that public health suffers. Drug dependencies largely go untreated; inside most prisons there is no access to needle exchange, opiate substitution or other treatments. HIV and Hepatitis C spread easily. Large numbers of inmates take up drug use in prison, and many overdose shortly after release. Prison is simply not the answer to drug use and minor drug-related offenses. We need to find a better, more humane response. The basis for this response can be found in a growing international movement led by scientists, health practitioners, drug users, policymakers, and law enforcement officials who are committed to effective, enduring, and humane solutions to the challenges of drug use. The Global Commission on Drug Policy, whose members include four past presidents, a former UN Secretary General, and a Nobel laureate, launched a report in June 2011 that condemns the war on drugs and calls for governments to seriously consider alternatives such as decriminalization. The Lancet, a renowned British medical journal published a special issue in July 2010 to address the problem of HIV among drug users. The 2010 Vienna Declaration, signed by the heads of UNAIDS and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, bears 20,000 signatures in support of drug policies that are rooted in science. A global campaign led by AVAAZ—End the War on Drugs—gathered over 600,000 signatures. Surprisingly, Portugal—a small country known for its conservative values, strong Catholic tradition, and recent emergence as a democracy—has become an international model for drug policy reform. In a dramatic departure from the norm, Portugal decriminalized drug possession in 2000. By moving the matter of personal possession entirely out of the realm of law enforcement and into that of public health, Portugal has given the world a powerful example of how a national drug policy can work to everyone's benefit. In the past decade, Portugal has seen a significant drop in new HIV infections and drug-related deaths. Instead of languishing in prison cells, drug dependent individuals in Portugal now receive effective treatment and compassionate programs that integrate them back into society. Even law enforcement has benefited, as police officers are now free to focus on intercepting large scale trafficking and uncovering international networks of smugglers. As a result, public safety has increased. Portugal proves that decriminalization does not increase drug use. To the contrary, it has demonstrated that humanitarian and pragmatic strategies can, in fact, reduce drug consumption, addiction, recidivism, and HIV infection. Portugal gives us hope that we can overcome the fear-driven “war on drugs” propaganda that paralyzes societies and hinders reform. Portugal proves that strategies based on respect for human dignity and the right to health can increase public safety. Drug Policy in Portugal: The Benefits of Decriminalizing Drug Use is the second in a series of publications by the Open Society Foundation's Global Drug Policy Program that seeks to document positive examples of drug policy reform around the world. We hope this publication will inspire policymakers, advocates, and drug users themselves to design policies that are guided by the principles of human rights, public health, and social development. Kasia Malinowska-Sempruch Director, Global Drug Policy Program Open Society Foundations