How is drug use treated in Portugal?
Apr 18, 2017 · Since 2001, possession or use of any drug has been treated as a health issue in Portugal. The country's drug-induced death rate has plummeted to five times lower than the European Union average.
Does drug rehab work better than jail time?
Feb 07, 2022 · The sale of illegal substances is still considered highly illegal and punishable with jail terms and hefty fines. Additionally, foreigners found guilty of unauthorized use or possession can be expelled from the country. Summary of Psychedelic Drug Laws in Portugal. Portugal’s anti-drug law decriminalized all substances in 2001.
Is Portugal the last country to decriminalise drugs?
Portugal’s law removed incarceration, but people caught possessing or using illicit drugs may be penalized by regional panels made up of social workers, medical professionals and …
How does Portugal’s drug death rate compare to Scotland?
Oct 05, 2016 · To that effect, Portuguese citizens who were apprehended with drugs were offered therapy instead of jail sentences. Fear of prison is what makes addicts go underground, and incarceration costs taxpayers more than treatment. Dr.
Is rehab the same as jail?
Treatment teaches people with substance use disorders about the nature of their addiction. Jail does not. Offering drug-related offenders the option to attend rehab promotes recovery for those most at risk.Dec 9, 2021
Can you go to jail for drugs in Portugal?
Portugal's law removed incarceration, but people caught possessing or using illicit drugs may be penalized by regional panels made up of social workers, medical professionals and drug experts. The panels can refer people to drug treatment programs, hand out fines or impose community service.Oct 6, 2020
Is Portugal the only country to decriminalize all drugs?
But in 2001, Portugal took a radical step. It became the first country in the world to decriminalize the consumption of all drugs. At the height of the heroin crisis in the 90's as many as 5,000 drug users lived on the streets of the Casal Ventoso neighborhood shown here, January 12, 2017.Aug 1, 2018
Which country decriminalized all drugs?
PortugalPortugal. In 2001, Portugal became the first European country to abolish all criminal penalties for personal drug possession, under Law 30/2000.
What is the crime rate in Portugal?
Portugal crime rate & statistics for 2018 was 0.79, a 6.92% increase from 2017. Portugal crime rate & statistics for 2017 was 0.74, a 15.57% increase from 2016. Portugal crime rate & statistics for 2016 was 0.64, a 33.73% decline from 2015.
Why are drugs legal in Portugal?
By 'accepting the reality of drug use rather than eternally hoping that it will disappear as a result of repressive legislation', Portuguese reform allows drugs to be treated as a health, rather than criminal justice, issue.May 13, 2021
When did Portugal decriminalize drugs?
July 2001In July 2001, Portugal decriminalized the personal use and possession of all illicit drugs.
What are the pros and cons of decriminalizing drugs?
Individuals with substance abuse problems are much more likely to find recovery in rehab than in jail. People completing treatment can become productive members of society much more easily than convicted felons. Violence related to drug trafficking is greatly reduced. Courts are freed up for other important work.Apr 23, 2018
Is selling drugs legal in Portugal?
Portugal decriminalised use and possession of all drugs in a way that moves the focus from criminal punishment to treatment. Drugs are not freely available, and they cannot legally be sold.May 1, 2013
What drugs did Portugal decriminalize?
Portugal signed all the UN conventions on narcotics and psychotropic to date. With the 2001 decriminalization bill, the consumer is now regarded as a patient and not as a criminal (having the amount usually used for ten days of personal use is not a punishable crime) but repression persists.
Are all drugs legal in Amsterdam?
All non-medical drugs, to be clear, are illegal. But there are two categories. Cannabis and some types of "recreational mushrooms" are in a separate class; still illegal, but largely tolerated.Jul 17, 2013
Where are drugs legal in the US?
Oregon became the first state in the United States to decriminalize the possession of all drugs on Nov. 3, 2020. Measure 110, a ballot initiative funded by the Drug Policy Alliance, a nonprofit advocacy group backed in part by Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, passed with more than 58% of the vote.Dec 10, 2020
What happened to Portugal after decriminalization?
After decriminalization, the number of people in Portugal receiving drug addiction treatment rose, according to a study by Hannah Laqueur, an assistant professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of California, Davis.
What is the law in Portugal?
Portugal’s law removed incarceration, but people caught possessing or using illicit drugs may be penalized by regional panels made up of social workers, medical professionals and drug experts. The panels can refer people to drug treatment programs, hand out fines or impose community service.
How much did murders increase after the drug reform?
Murders increased by 41 percent in the five years after the drug reform law (after which they fell), and drug trafficking grew. These could be related. “Any change in the drug market can bring about violence,” said Keith Humphreys, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University.
How many people were incarcerated for drug use in 2001?
In each of the eight years before the 2001 law, the number of people incarcerated for drug use was no higher than 42 and was as low as four. (Portugal’s population is roughly that of the Chicago metro area, about 10 million.) From the war on drugs to today’s marijuana legalization, U.S. drug laws and attitudes have grown more relaxed over ...
Did everything get better after Portugal's shift?
Not everything got better immediately after Portugal’s shift. One study found an increase in drug experimentation after the law. But this was a transient effect — most experimentation did not lead to regular drug use.
Is addiction a criminal issue in Portugal?
Portugal has treated addiction as a disease rather than a criminal issue. Credit... Many people point to Portugal as an example for the United States to emulate in dealing with illicit drugs. But Portugal’s experience is often misunderstood.
Which country abolished the criminal penalties for possession of drugs?
TIME magazine reports of how the westernmost country of mainland Europe became the first in the continent to “officially abolish all criminal penalties for personal possession of drugs,” from marijuana and cocaine to heroin and methamphetamine. [2]
What was the move of Portugal in 2001?
Kerlikowske noted that Portugal’s unprecedented 2001 move of not arresting, trying, or imprisoning people with personal supplies of recreational drugs has opened a large number of doors and ideas for new and innovative ways that governments can help their addicted and at-risk citizens.
What did the Portuguese government do in 2001?
Under the 2001 laws, citizens found guilty of possessing small amounts of drugs (no more than a 10-day supply of the given substance) were sent to a panel made up of a psychologist, a social worker, and a legal advisor, who would then devise an appropriate treatment plan.
What was the problem with the Second Republic?
The problem arose from the end of the dictatorship of the Second Republic, an authoritarian regime that ruled the country with an iron fist from 1933 to 1974. The group was inspired by, based on, and enforced conservative and authoritarian principles; when it fell, an entire generation of Portuguese people indulged themselves on freedoms that had long been denied to them. Atop that list, says Medical Daily, were drugs. Soldiers returning from newly liberated, former African colonies (Angola, Portuguese Guinea, and Mozambique) brought home cannabis, and black marketeers imported heroin and cocaine.
Why did the Lisbon program start?
The program came about as a response to the country’s debilitating drug problems in the late 20th century . Lisbon, the capital city, was a focal point for drug smuggling and “a devastating heroin epidemic,” writes Medical Daily.
What did Jeb Bush say about addiction?
Bush presented addiction as an “illness,” one that requires help and care, not punishment and condemnation.
What is the penalty for having too much heroin?
People caught with higher amounts (15 grams or more of heroin, 500 grams or more of cannabis) will be subject to a mandatory death penalty .
What is the drug policy in Portugal?
Drug policy reform in Portugal included wide-reaching needle and syringe programmes aimed at reducing risk of infection among people who inject drugs. In 2001, Portugal had 1,287 new HIV diagnoses attributed to injecting drug use. 30 It had over 50% of all new HIV diagnoses attributed to injecting drug use in the EU in 2001 and 2002 despite having just 2% of the EU population. In 2019, with only 16 new diagnoses, it only had 1.68% of the EU total.#N#While HIV diagnoses have gone down across Europe in this period, the trend in Portugal is much stronger. Owing to its previously extremely high levels of transmission, Portugal retains some of the highest HIV prevalence rates in Western Europe among people who inject drugs (at 13%). 31 However, this still marks a significant downturn since the millennium, when half of all new HIV diagnoses were attributed to injecting drug use. 32 AIDS diagnoses in people infected through injecting drug use have also fallen dramatically over the past twenty years: from 518 in 2000 to just 13 in 2019. Again, this is a stronger downward trend than the EU average: in 2000 Portugal had 15% of new EU diagnoses; in 2019, it had less than 5%. 33
When did Portugal decriminalize drug use?
In 2001, Portugal decriminalised the personal possession of all drugs as part of a wider#N#re-orientation of policy towards a health-led approach. Possessing drugs for personal use is instead treated as an administrative offence, meaning it is no longer punishable by imprisonment and does not result in a criminal record and associated stigma. 1 Drugs are, however, still confiscated and possession may result in administrative penalties such as fines or community service.#N#Whether such a penalty is applied is decided by district-level panels made up of legal, health and social work professionals, known as ‘Commissions for the Dissuasion of Drug Addiction’. Where an individual is referred to a Commission for the first time and their drug use is assessed as non-problematic (low risk), the law requires their case to be ‘suspended’, meaning no further action is taken. Fines can be issued for subsequent referrals. Where some problematic trends are identified (moderate risk), brief interventions are proposed — including counselling — but these are non-mandatory. In ‘high risk’ cases, where more serious problematic behaviours and dependence are identified, individuals may receive non-mandatory referrals to specialised treatment services. 2#N#In the vast majority of instances, problematic drug use is not identified, and cases are simply ‘suspended’. 3 Individuals referred to the Commissions overwhelmingly view their purpose as helping to reduce use and educate on drug risks. 4 They are non-judgemental in nature, and a primary focus is safeguarding the right to health of those referred. 5#N#Importantly, the decriminalisation of personal possession is only one part of broader health-centred drug policy reforms that involve an increased focus on harm reduction and treatment provision. 6 By ‘accepting the reality of drug use rather than eternally hoping that it will disappear as a result of repressive legislation’, Portuguese reform allows drugs to be treated as a health, rather than criminal justice, issue. 7 The benefits of these reforms, therefore, arise from both decriminalisation itself and the establishment of a wider health-based response to drug problems.#N#Portugal was not the first country to decriminalise some or all drugs, and it has not been the last. 8 However, it is one of the most prominent and influential. The Portuguese model directly influenced the 2020 decriminalisation measure passed in Oregon, for example, as well as proposed decriminalisation in Norway. 9 Portugal is regularly held up as the leading example of drug decriminalisation, so understanding the outcomes is vital.
What is Portugal's positive example?
Conclusion. Portugal has set a positive example for what can be done when drug policies prioritise health rather than criminalisation. At the turn of the century, Portugal was facing a crisis, including high levels of HIV infection among people who use drugs.
Is drug use in Portugal low?
This is particularly the case among younger people: Portugal has some of the lowest usage rates in Europe among those between the ages of 15-34. 17.
What does low threshold mean in Ares do Pinhal?
The program describes itself as "low-threshold," meaning that individuals aren't required to abstain from drugs to use its services. Faria and the other psychologists and social workers join the mobile units at least once a week to check on participants who can't or won't come into the Ares do Pinhal office.
When did Portugal turn its crisis around?
But thanks to an innovative law that went into effect in 2001, Portugal has turned its crisis around. With the backing of psychologists and other health-care professionals, the law decriminalized the use and possession of up to 10 days' worth of narcotics or other drugs for individuals' own use. (Dealers still go to jail.)
What is the Portuguese model?
The Portuguese model is based in humanism— seeing people with drug problems as people with an illness, says psychologist Domingos Duran, head of the treatment division of the government's Serviço de Intervenção nos Comportamentos Aditivos e nas Dependências.
Who is the psychologist who runs the Ares do Pinhal Association for Social Inclusion?
Other psychologists coordinate harm-reduction programs. Hugo Amaral Faria, for example, manages a mobile methadone program run by a nongovernmental organization called the Ares do Pinhal Association for Social Inclusion in Lisbon.
How long can a non-addict receive a warning?
Nonaddicted individuals may receive a warning or a fine. However, the commission can decide to suspend enforcement of these penalties for six months if the individual agrees to get help—an information session, motivational interview or brief intervention—targeted to his or her pattern of drug use.
What is drug rehab?
In drug rehab, patients have access to counselors, peers who are going through similar experiences and services that jail typically does not provide. Access to counselors, therapy and rehabilitation services, and resources makes the recovery process much easier.
When will drug abuse be out of jail in 2021?
April 19, 2021 by Johnny Allem. There are ongoing debates within politics and court systems as to whether or not drug addicts should be sent to jail or to a rehabilitation program. Studies suggest that drug and alcohol abusers are much more likely to recover by being sent to rehab rather than prison. Unfortunately, the fallacy that jail can scare ...
What is the treatment program for substance abuse?
Treatment Programs Focus On Improving The Patient’s Way Of Life. There are many reasons why a person may become addicted to substance use. Drug rehab programs focus on determining the underlying reason (s) for substance use and work to improve these underlying concerns.
Does putting someone in jail make them feel like they are in prison?
They may already feel like a prisoner in their own mind, and putting them in a prison only reaffirms their negative mental state , which generally increases the likelihood of returning to substance use and abuse once they leave jail.
Why do people go to drug rehab?
Drug rehab programs exist for the sole purpose of helping people separate from drugs and alcohol.
How many people are in jail for drug charges?
Of the 1 in 5 people incarcerated for drug-related charges, 456,000 of them are locked up for nonviolent crimes, such as possession charges.
Why is it important to send people to rehab?
Sending individuals to drug rehab is a much more positive approach to rehabilitation than locking them up in a correctional facility. They’re more likely to graduate from an addiction program with life skills that will encourage them to reintegrate into society.
What are the penalties for first time drug use?
Potential penalties for a first-time charge include a $5,000 fine and up to a year in prison.
Is drug rehab better than jail time?
Drug rehab is a much better alternative to jail time for many people struggling with addiction. Comparing the benefits of rehab vs. jail time is crucial when looking at those in the system for drug offenses. People who struggle with substance abuse and addiction are more likely to end up with drug charges.
Is it better to go to jail or rehab for drug addiction?
Drug addiction is a deep-seated issue. It’s not easy to stop and people can’t “just quit using,” as some may believe. Drug rehab is a much better alternative to jail time for many people struggling with addiction.
Can you get sober if you are incarcerated?
If those struggling with substance abuse are immediately incarcerated, their chances of getting sober are slim. But if those individuals receive the chance to attend drug rehab, they’ll find themselves on a path to recovery and away from the chains of addiction.
Background
- In 2001, Portugal decriminalised the personal possession of all drugs as part of a wider re-orientation of policy towards a health-led approach. Possessing drugs for personal use is instead treated as an administrative offence, meaning it is no longer punishable by imprisonment and does not result in a criminal record and associated stigma.1 Drugs ...
Drug-Related Deaths
- In the first five years after the reforms, drug deaths dropped dramatically. They rose slightly in the following years, before returning to 2005 levels in 2011, with only 10 drug overdose deaths recorded in that year. Since 2011, drug deaths have risen again but remain below 2001 levels (when there were 76 recorded deaths).10 In 2001, Portuguese drug death rates were very simila…
Crime
- The move away from criminalising and imprisoning people who use drugs has led to a dramatic change in the profile of the prison population. In 2001, over 40% of the sentenced Portuguese prison population were held for drug offences, considerably above the European average, and 70% of reported crime was associated with drugs.13 While the European average has gradually risen …
Drug Use
- Levels of drug use in Portugal have been consistently below the European average over the past twenty years. This is particularly the case among younger people: Portugal has some of the lowest usage rates in Europe among those between the ages of 15-34.17 In the first five years after drug policy reform, use of illegal drugs rose slightly among the general population but fell a…
HIV Transmission
- Drug policy reform in Portugal included wide-reaching needle and syringe programmes aimed at reducing risk of infection among people who inject drugs. In 2001, Portugal had 1,287 new HIV diagnoses attributed to injecting drug use.30 It had over 50% of all new HIV diagnoses attributed to injecting drug use in the EU in 2001 and 2002 despite having just 2% of the EU population. In 2…
Hepatitis B and C
- Hepatitis C prevalence among people who inject drugs has been estimated as the highest in Western Europe and is a result of multiple epidemics in the late 20th century linked in part to unsafe drug injecting practices up to the 1990s.34 Prevalence of hepatitis B (which, unlike hepatitis C, is commonly spread through means other than blood-to-blood contact) is below the …
Treatment and Harm Reduction Provision
- A key feature of the new Portuguese drug policy, alongside decriminalisation, was the expansion of treatment services. Between 2000-2009, outpatient treatment units increased from 50 to 79.37 However, the number of individuals in treatment for drugs steadily decreased between 2009-2018, which may be linked to significant reductions in health and welfare budgets following the impac…
Social Costs
- A 2015 study found that the social costs of drug use in Portugal fell 12% between 2000 and 2004, and 18% by 2010. While the former figure was largely driven by the reduction in drug-related deaths, the latter was linked to a ‘significant reduction’ in costs associated with criminal proceedings for drug offences and lost income of individuals imprisoned for these offences.51
Conclusion
- Portugal has set a positive example for what can be done when drug policies prioritise health rather than criminalisation. At the turn of the century, Portugal was facing a crisis, including high levels of HIV infection among people who use drugs. Many impacts of reform were felt immediately: new HIV infections, drug deaths and the prison population all fell sharply within th…
References
- ‘Personal use’ is defined by set thresholds established in law, e.g. 1g for heroin, 2g for cocaine and 25g for herbal cannabis: EMCDDA (2015). Threshold quantities for drug offences. https://www.em...
- SICAD et al (2013). Guidelines for the Intervention in Dissuasion. p18-19. http://www.sicad.pt/BK/Publica...
- ‘Personal use’ is defined by set thresholds established in law, e.g. 1g for heroin, 2g for cocaine and 25g for herbal cannabis: EMCDDA (2015). Threshold quantities for drug offences. https://www.em...
- SICAD et al (2013). Guidelines for the Intervention in Dissuasion. p18-19. http://www.sicad.pt/BK/Publica...
- In 2013, of 7,258 rulings made by Commissions, 83% of processes were suspended temporarily and 5% found the presumed offender innocent: SICAD (2014). 2014 National Report (2013 data) to the EMCDDA...
- Carapinha, L. et al (2017). Effects of Dissuasion Intervention, based on CDTs activity. SICAD. http://www.sicad.pt/BK/Estatis...;
