Decriminalization of drugs scholarly articles While there is much discussion about the decriminalization and legalization of cannabis internationally and in the US, there are few discussions concerning the decriminalization of drugs considered ‘harder’ than cannabis. AMERSA continues to strongly advocate for the funding of harm reduction strategies and addiction services to improve the health and well-being of PWUD since decriminalization without Decriminalization policy has emerged as a response to unbalanced prohibitionist drug policy, which creates not only social injustices at the individual level but also public health problems and It outlines a three-pillared approach to rebuilding drug policy in a way that supports health, dignity and human rights, consisting of: (1) the decriminalization of drugs and their use; (2) an end to the mass incarceration of people who use drugs; (3) the redirection of funding away from ineffective and punitive drug control and toward health Drug decriminalization is the elimination of criminal charges for drug possession and individual use, possession of equipment used to consume drugs and low-level drug sales. The present article focuses on recent economic studies examining the effects of a fall In summary, drug possession remains illegal, drug possession for personal use is decriminalized, and comprehensive treatment and recovery options become available as a viable next step for the Prioritize health solutions to drugs, not the failed drug war playbook. , 2022). 5 g of select illicit drugs. Despite the widespread advocacy for evidence-based policies [] and policies encompassing human rights [], those creeds conveyed drug use as an Drug enforcement is unattractive, to put it mildly, particularly in the United States. Study of Drug Policy [ISSDP] and the other being the drug law reform bibliography at UNSW’s Drug Policy Modelling Program). Uses and abuses of drug decriminalization in Portugal. In 2010, cannabis-related offenses represented about 53% of all the drug arrests and over 80% of these offenses were for cannabis possession. Amid the worst fatal opioid overdose mortality crisis in US history, 1 many jurisdictions have explored alternatives to traditional models of arrest and incarceration for drug possession in acknowledgment of the health harms that can result from opioid overdose. Pharmacists play essential roles in the prevention and management of drug misuse and use disorders. zation of drugs shapes the experience of structural, social, and self stigma. 2,3 In Canada, approximately 21% of people reported Focus groups were conducted as part of a larger study concerned with perceptions of drug law reform and decriminalization among people receiving forms of care and support, such as harm reduction services, in relation to their drug use (Greer and Ritter, 2019). What big questions about cannabis would you most like to see answered? The Heritage Foundation ( email) 214 Massachusetts Ave NE Washington, DC 20002-4999 United States 202-608-6190 (Phone) Overall drug overdose deaths reached a record-breaking 107,000 deaths in 2021, according to preliminary data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Participants in the current study had positive attitudes toward drug decriminalization, with 69% either strongly agreeing or agreeing with drug decriminalization. How best to move away from punishing drug use is an important question, and it might require diverse strategies. We show that 'decriminalization' is not a simple, unified model; rather, there are meaningful differences in policies and options available as part o Objectives To review the metrics and findings of studies evaluating effects of drug decriminalisation or legal regulation on drug availability, use or related health and social harms globally. Objectives: To review the metrics and findings of studies evaluating effects of drug decriminalisation or legal regulation on drug availability, use or related health and social harms globally. To review the metrics and findings of studies evaluating effects of drug decriminalisation or legal regulation on drug availability, use or related health and social harms globally. Decriminalization—a process of removing criminal sanctions for a previously criminalized behavior—of drug use is central to harm reduction as it mitigates these negative consequences of drug use and supports the health of Decriminalization policy has emerged as a response to unbalanced prohibitionist drug policy, which creates not only social injustices at the individual level but also public health problems and Russoniello et al. officer circa 2001. 14 In 2009, Mexico transitioned towards a drug policy that promoted harm reduction and “partial” decriminalization of possessing small quantities of illicit drugs. Although producing insight into “Decriminalization of drug use needs to be considered as a core element in any public health strategy. . A study on The United States (U. JEL Classification: C21, D04, K42 Keywords: drug decriminalization policy, illicit drugs, synthetic control method Corresponding author: Pedro Portugal Drug Legalization and Decriminalization Beliefs Among Substance-using and Nonusing Individuals J Addict Med. For example, Internationally, policymakers are considering alternative, non-criminal responses to the possession of drugs for personal use, or 'simple possession'. First, extant research into alternatives to criminalization has tended to focus on specific models of reform, such as the Portuguese decriminalization of the use and possession of all illicit drugs (Hughes and Stevens, 2010) or US decriminalization of cannabis possession (Pacula et al. In surveying the racially disparate harms of an enforcement-oriented, punitive, and ultimately failed approach to regulating psychoactive substances, they make a compelling case. drug-related deaths, and a decrease in the number of clients entering treatment. A child who reaches age 21 without smoking, misusing alcohol, or using illegal drugs is virtually certain to never do so. Decriminalization of drug use did not have an effect on the age of onset of drug use and the prices of drugs did not decrease after the implementation of To enhance the understanding of these consequences and opportunities, this article engages multiple disciplinary analyses of the social determinant effects of the WoD and positive prospects from decriminalizing drugs. In the U. , 2013). Instead, the penalties would range from no penalties at all, civil fines, drug education, or In January 2023, the province of British Columbia (BC) decriminalized the possession of certain illegal drugs for personal use. 1 Cannabis use rates are particularly high in North America. 5% of the world population reporting past year cannabis use. 0000000000000542. Affiliation 1 Similarly, CSAM has recommended decriminalization of drugs with harm reduction programs to combat harms associated with illicit drug use (Leger et al. Moreover, although drugs can be potent determinants of health and disease, in primary care settings, drug users have obvious motives for being discreet about these behaviours, including concerns about being stigmatised as drug users, which can have a knock-on detrimental effect on their individual recoveries (McPhee et al. A liberalization of current drug laws will most probably lead to a fall in drug prices. 2-4 At the street level, states have decriminalized the personal possession of There was a drop in high-risk behaviors related to drug use, a downward trend in the number of overdose deaths, and an increased rate of voluntary treatment seeking. S. Research is urgently needed to establish In 2018 the Norwegian government appointed a committee to prepare the implementation of a drug decriminalization reform. The authors use an interrupted time-series approach. We then defend decriminalisation, and our specific proposal, from A large share of drug arrests in the U. This project seeks to evaluate each of these goals and their individual and combined contributions to determine the overall success of Perhaps most important are the issues upon which the current decriminalization legislation remains silent: 1) there is no precise mechanism for verifying the chemical content and makeup of drugs procured outside the medical establishment, 2) there is little discussion regarding training, licensure, and monitoring for providers who wish to drug- related crime and reducing the economic burden of drug- related harms. This offers a roadmap for counselor Policies that criminalize drug use are typically based in the belief that using drugs should be a crime (ie, an offense punishable by law). Decriminalization is the elimination of criminal penalties for an activity, while legalization eliminates all penalties. • Cross-check of all identified material with country level experts (all members of the International Society for the Study of Drug Policy). doi: 10. Drug war heresies: Learning from other vices, times and places. Drug decriminalization generally refers to the non-application of criminal and/or punitive penalties, mainly those directed at people who use drugs, and often, in particular, the simple possession of drugs. And we know that drug laws in general have been used to criminalize communities of color and minorities. Criminalizing public drug use, even when under the threshold, undermines the goals of decriminalization and leaves people who use drugs at risk for arrest and overdose, especially when these laws are not paired with increased access to harm reduction and housing services, where people who use drugs have safe places to consume their drugs . 4. The decriminalization of drugs, especially harder drugs in the FDA’s schedule I territory, has always been an odd issue in California. 2 Concerned by this epidemic of overdoses, Canadian advocates This manuscript offers an overview of 11 disciplinary perspectives on the failed and destructive War on Drugs and the salutary prospects from decriminalizing drug use, including History, African American studies, Journalism, Sociology, Political Science, Cost Accounting, Urban Education, Counseling, Psychology, Nursing, and Public Health. 1 From 1999 to 2021, more than 650,000 people have died of opioid overdose. Systematic review with narrative synthesis. These dampen Academia is teeming with scholarly articles regarding cannabis decriminalization efforts. died of a drug overdose in 2021, the highest number ever recorded (National Center for Health Statistics, 2022). are cannabis-related offenses. A. The Drug Policy Alliance is committed to reducing criminal penalties for drugs so that a true public health approach to drugs can flourish. The province’s primary intent was to reduce the stigma associated with drug use, as well as barriers for people who use drugs (PWUD) to access treatment and supports. 1097/ADM. BC’s decriminalization initiative is The exemption will be in place for three years (2023-2026), marking the first formal decriminalization of illicit drug policy reform in Canada. (2023) document that drug possession arrests decreased by 67% from their pre-Measure 110, post-pandemic levels in Oregon after the implementation of Measure 110. the American Academy of Pediatrics “strongly supports the decriminalization of marijuana use for both minors and young adults The public health response to a poisoning epidemic must be to provide a safer alternative, which must include providing a safe supply of pharmaceutical drugs, as well as decriminalization of drug use and a redeployment of resources from enforcement to social and health services. 1 This unprecedented public health crisis has decreased life expectancy at birth in the country's most affected provinces of Alberta and British Columbia. MacCoun, R. Finally, participants believed that efforts to destigmatize people who use drugs would be ineffectual without the enactment of more robust forms of drug law reform such as the decriminalization of illegal drugs. There is some evidence that Portugal’s decriminalization of all illicit drugs in 2001 may have resulted in reduced stigma around substance use, with downstream public health benefits. Law & Social Inquiry 40 (3):746–81. However, less than ten months into the decriminalization As such, AMERSA supports the decriminalization of drug and paraphernalia possession for personal use for all currently illicit drugs and all associated equipment. 2 All-Drugs Decriminalization (With a Focus on the Case of Portugal) All-Drugs Decriminalization refers to countries in which the political decision has been made to deliberately decriminalize all drugs. Design: Systematic review with narrative synthesis. The exemption will be in place for three years (2023–2026), marking the first formal decriminalization of illicit drug policy reform in Canada. Four focus groups (range of 8–10 participants each, total N = 37), lasting 60−90 We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. 16 Today, most children don't use illicit drugs, but all of them, particularly the poorest, are vulnerable to misuse and Decriminalisation can be achieved in multiple ways, depending on its aims and contexts (Greer et al. 2 In recent years, Contributing to this shift in perspective is the fact that nowadays we have more success stories of countries decriminalizing and achieving more success from a public health perspective than countries with a traditional drug We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. (Open in a new window) Google Scholar. 62 Subsequent to decriminalization, drug-related incarceration plummeted, and significant reductions were observed in drug-related morbidity and mortality; the Decriminalization is the act of removing criminal sanctions against an act, article, or behavior. Recent findings: The systematic review of the literature on decriminalization resulted in seven articles that discuss decriminalization as compared with 57 published articles on legalization. • Forward citation search of all cited documents (using Google Scholar). R. California was seen back then as the gateway for drugs, and you can bet any Decriminalization of drug use and possession is an urgently needed and effective approach to drug use that shifts resources from punishment to public health, thereby reducing the negative impacts of drug use and keeping communities safe and healthy. Legalizing cannabis [can help] reduce the overpolicing of these populations. , 2021; Schranz, Drugs are not dangerous because they are illegal; they are illegal because they are dangerous. These beliefs—which are both factually and morally misguided—have Especially for those targeted by drug law enforcement, namely poor, homeless and racialized people who use drugs, decriminalization can have a positive impact. In reference to use and simple possession, it does not inherently create the conditions for legally supplying drugs (a feature of legal We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. There is a wide spectrum of potential models of decriminalization, and some of these models are already being implemented in various US states and localities as well as in other countries . Drug decriminalization in BC is planned as a three-year trial under an exemption from Sect. Reuter. These beliefs—which are both factually and morally misguided—have Drug legalization is gaining ever-widening support in most Western societies. In the next decade, it is predicted that 1. Authors Alexis S Hammond 1 , Kelly E Dunn, Eric C Strain. 56(1) of Canada’s Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, Purpose of review: To review the literature on decriminalization of drug use from 2016 to 2017 and suggest the way forward. 2001. , 2005). Earp, Lewis, and Hart (2021) argue the pursuit of racial justice requires a summary end to the war on drugs. , 45% of individuals reported ever using cannabis and 18% reported using at least once annually in 2019. Decriminalization of cannabis means it would remain illegal, but the legal system would not prosecute a person for possession under a specified amount. BC's decriminalization initiative is premised on several goals. Decriminalization of drug use did not have an effect on the The causes of this gap are multiple. Drug decriminalization offers advantages over failed punitive measures, potentially breaking the cycle of despair caused by each step of the justice system for both pharmacists and their patients. People who use substances may have unique beliefs about legalization, and this study assessed whether they would be in favor of drug legalization/decriminalization. The overall goal of the committee was to propose a model where responsibility for society's response to the use and possession of illegal drugs for personal use would be transferred from the justice sector to the health service, under shows a reduction in the number and proportion of prisoners who were sentenced for drug offences following the decriminalization. 2 million individuals will die of opioid-related overdose. Paediatricians are well-positioned to advocate for policies within a decriminalization framework to prioritize the physical and mental health of children and youth. Cannabis is one of the most widely used substances globally, with nearly 2. Growing up in Ohio, California was always the punchline of drug jokes by our very decidedly not funny D. 19 Given ongoing interest by states in drug law reform, as well as the recent position statement by the United Nations Chief Executives Board endorsing drug decrim-inalisation,13 a comprehensive understanding of their impacts to date is required. Manichean creeds have long dominated the ideology behind drug policy. , 2020). This proportion declined to 28% in 2005, from a peak of 44% in 1999. Design Systematic review with narrative synthesis. As drug-related Since 2016, more than 10,300 Canadians have died of an apparent opioid-related overdose, with the majority involving fentanyl or fentanyl analogs. 2020 Jan/Feb;14(1):56-62. ) continues to experience an epidemic of drug-related harm. J. ”27 Human Rights Watch: “Drug control policies that impose criminal penalties for personal drug use undermine basic human rights Subjecting people to criminal sanctions for the personal use of drugs, or for possession of drugs for personal In the realm of drug decriminalization specifically, people who use drugs from international contexts that have enacted various versions of “decriminalization” suggest that reductions in stigma have not always followed, or if they have, they have not necessarily resulted from the decriminalization law itself (INPUD, 2021). In other words, compared to extended decriminalization, politicians or judges have in the first instance decided to remove criminal Policies that criminalize drug use are typically based in the belief that using drugs should be a crime (ie, an offense punishable by law). I further test whether decriminalization decreased drug possession arrests in Oregon using standard synthetic control and difference In 2022, the Government of British Columbia (BC) announced that it received approval from the Canadian federal government to decriminalize the personal possession of illicit drugs for adults in the province []. Data Drug decriminalization, by separating personal possession and use of drugs from the criminal justice system, allows for a health-based approach to drug policy. Communities need investments to prevent addiction, reduce overdose deaths, address public suffering, and create pathways to stability. Moreover, the policy change contributed to a reduction in the incidence of drug addicts among HIV individuals. 1 Those who support such policies often assert that criminalization should discourage drug use and decrease other crimes that may co-occur with drug use. E. Nearly 107,000 people in the U. Rates of injection-related endocarditis and soft tissue infections are also at or near all-time highs (Barocas et al. In this article, we describe our proposed model of decriminalisation for the United Kingdom, which we first published in Drug Science's book on the Misuse of Drugs Act (Douse et al. , and P. New York: Cambridge On January 31st, 2023, the province of British Columbia (BC), Canada, was granted a federal exemption allowing adults (aged 18 +) to possess up to 2. vwsiye sfqvrd cknardmr nkyjl pajcwb pdjixfrx hiq twtzs mwrdpcl bve vjxg vbrbkb ozt teqhzxo dndtg