Historique
Rapport
Drug use as a health issue: learning from Portuguese policies
Auteur(s) :
SILVESTRI, A.
Année
2014
Page(s) :
58 p.
Langue(s) :
Anglais
Éditeur(s) :
London : Winston Churchill Memorial Trust (WCMT)
Domaine :
Drogues illicites / Illicit drugs
Thésaurus géographique
PORTUGAL
;
ROYAUME-UNI
Thésaurus mots-clés
SANTE PUBLIQUE
;
ACCOMPAGNEMENT
;
INFORMATION
;
DEPENALISATION
;
PRODUIT ILLICITE
;
ENTRETIEN
;
INTERVENTION
;
PREVENTION
;
REDUCTION DES RISQUES ET DES DOMMAGES
Résumé :
In Portugal, people who are found by the police with a defined amount of illicit substances are referred to the 'Commissions for the Dissuasion of Drug Abuse' (CDTs), civil bodies which operate under the Ministry of Health. These unique institutions provide information and advice and effectively function as gateways into a complex network of social, physical and psychological support.
My study has looked in detail at how such Commissions operate in practice, in the context of the Portuguese national strategy for dealing with substance misuse in accordance with a public health model, rather than a criminal justice one. The Commissions are part of a web of integrated, locally based responses, working to achieve the strategy's key aims of dissuasion, prevention, treatment, harm reduction and reintegration.
It is important to bear in mind that although drug use, consumption and buying is decriminalised up to a certain daily amount in Portugal, it is NOT depenalised, i.e. it still incurs penalties, albeit of an administrative nature. The CDTs have the legal power to administer such penalties, but do so within the broader aim of dissuading from use and from behaviour that is harmful to health and social well-being.
The report illustrates the findings of:
- in-depth interviews with CDTs staff and clients, practitioners and policy makers, medical experts and policy analysts;
- process observation;
- data mining and analysis.
These confirm that neither recorded substance use nor drug related offences have spiralled upwards since the introduction of the new system in 2001. Instead, having redirected resources from the criminal justice into preventative, treatment and reintegration work, Portugal has experienced positive outcomes, including:
- health improvements (e.g. steep declines in HIV incidence among injecting drug users);
- freeing up of police and court time;
- fewer users in prison.
The stigma of having a criminal record for the possession of illicit substances is also avoided, as are its related problems (e.g. access to employment or housing).
[...]
The report therefore recommends that policy efforts be directed towards an integrated, health centred, long-term approach that takes ongoing stock of the scientific and social evidence available. To achieve this, policy makers should seriously consider working together to achieve a cross party consensus, from which to engage with the media and with the public.
My study has looked in detail at how such Commissions operate in practice, in the context of the Portuguese national strategy for dealing with substance misuse in accordance with a public health model, rather than a criminal justice one. The Commissions are part of a web of integrated, locally based responses, working to achieve the strategy's key aims of dissuasion, prevention, treatment, harm reduction and reintegration.
It is important to bear in mind that although drug use, consumption and buying is decriminalised up to a certain daily amount in Portugal, it is NOT depenalised, i.e. it still incurs penalties, albeit of an administrative nature. The CDTs have the legal power to administer such penalties, but do so within the broader aim of dissuading from use and from behaviour that is harmful to health and social well-being.
The report illustrates the findings of:
- in-depth interviews with CDTs staff and clients, practitioners and policy makers, medical experts and policy analysts;
- process observation;
- data mining and analysis.
These confirm that neither recorded substance use nor drug related offences have spiralled upwards since the introduction of the new system in 2001. Instead, having redirected resources from the criminal justice into preventative, treatment and reintegration work, Portugal has experienced positive outcomes, including:
- health improvements (e.g. steep declines in HIV incidence among injecting drug users);
- freeing up of police and court time;
- fewer users in prison.
The stigma of having a criminal record for the possession of illicit substances is also avoided, as are its related problems (e.g. access to employment or housing).
[...]
The report therefore recommends that policy efforts be directed towards an integrated, health centred, long-term approach that takes ongoing stock of the scientific and social evidence available. To achieve this, policy makers should seriously consider working together to achieve a cross party consensus, from which to engage with the media and with the public.
Affiliation :
UK