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InvisibleveggieM

Registered: 07/25/04
Posts: 17,538
Drug decriminalization policy pays off
    #13334696 - 10/14/10 07:09 AM (13 years, 7 months ago)

Drug decriminalization policy pays off
October 14, 2010 - politico.com
By Glenn Greenwald

Next month, Californians will vote on Proposition 19, a measure to legalize marijuana. Because no state has ever taken such a step, voters are being subjected to a stream of fear-mongering assertions, unaccompanied by evidence, about what is likely to happen if drug prohibition is repealed.

But it need not — and should not — be that way.

Ten years ago, Portugal became the first Western nation to pass full-scale, nationwide decriminalization. That law, passed Oct. 1, 2000, abolished criminal sanctions for all narcotics — not just marijuana but also “hard drugs” like heroin and cocaine.

This applies only to drugs for personal use; drug trafficking remains a criminal offense. There is now a decade’s worth of empirical data on what actually happens — and does not happen — when criminal sanctions against drug possession are lifted.

Individuals caught with drugs in Portugal are no longer arrested or treated as criminals. Instead, they are sent to a tribunal of health professionals, where they are offered the opportunity, but are not compelled, to seek government-provided treatment.

For those found to be addicts, tribunals have the power to impose noncriminal sanctions. But in practice, the overriding goal is to direct people to treatment.

By any metric, Portugal’s drug-decriminalization scheme has been a resounding success. Drug usage in many categories has decreased in absolute terms, including for key demographic groups, like 15-to-19-year-olds. Where usage rates have increased, the increases have been modest — far less than in most other European Union nations, which continue to use a criminalization approach.

Portugal, whose drug problems were among the worst in Europe, now has the lowest usage rate for marijuana and one of the lowest for cocaine. Drug-related pathologies, including HIV transmission, hepatitis transmission and drug-related deaths, have declined significantly.

Beyond the data, Portugal’s success with decriminalization is illustrated by the absence of political agitation for a return to criminalization. As one might expect for a socially conservative and predominantly Roman Catholic country, the decriminalization proposal sparked intense controversy a decade ago.

Many politicians insisted that a vast parade of horribles would be unleashed, including massive increases in drug use among youth and the conversion of Lisbon into a “drug haven for tourists.”

But none of those scary scenarios occurred. Portuguese citizens, able to compare the out-of-control drug problems of the 1990s with the vastly improved situation now, have little desire to return to the days of criminalization. No influential politician advocates doing so.

Though Portugal’s population is far smaller than that of the United States, more than 10 million people is hardly insignificant. But far more relevant than population size is that Portugal in the 1990s — like the U.S. today — had an exploding drug problem. And the more the nation criminalized, the worse the problem became.

Decriminalization became politically tenable when the Portuguese Parliament convened a commission of apolitical experts charged with determining how the country could best address its spiraling drug problems. The commission found that decriminalization was the best policy for reducing drug-related harms, and events have now demonstrated the wisdom of that recommendation.

It may sound counterintuitive that decriminalization can improve drug problems. But Portuguese drug officials, with a decade of experience with decriminalization, understand the reasons for that causal relationship.

First, when a government threatens to turn drug users into criminals, a wall of fear divides officials and the citizenry and, thus, prevents effective treatment and education campaigns. Portugal’s top drug official has said the stigma created by criminalizing drug use and the resulting fear of government were the biggest barriers to effective education and treatment programs in the 1990s.

Second, treating drug addiction as a health issue, not a criminal offense, means the right solutions can be found. Counseling is far more effective than prison in turning addicts into nonusers.

Third, when a government no longer spends inordinate amounts of money on arresting, prosecuting and imprisoning drug users, that money can instead be used on highly effective treatment programs, as well as services, like methadone clinics, to limit drug-related harms.

Whatever one’s views on liberalizing drug laws, our debate should be grounded in empirical evidence — not speculation and fear-mongering. As California voters make a momentous decision on drug policy, Portugal’s decade of decriminalization offers exactly the sort of rational examination that has been sorely lacking.

Glenn Greenwald, a contributing writer to Salon, is the author of the Cato Institute study “Drug Decriminalization in Portugal: Lessons for Creating Fair and Successful Drug Policies.”

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OfflineLed Zeppelin
Tripper


Registered: 05/17/10
Posts: 3,962
Last seen: 3 years, 8 months
Re: Drug decriminalization policy pays off [Re: veggie]
    #13334789 - 10/14/10 07:53 AM (13 years, 7 months ago)

:thumbup:

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Offlineguest1
Mycena
 User Gallery


Folding@home Statistics
Registered: 05/25/09
Posts: 852
Last seen: 1 year, 5 months
Re: Drug decriminalization policy pays off [Re: Led Zeppelin]
    #13334886 - 10/14/10 08:32 AM (13 years, 7 months ago)

The propaganda is all over the place. Even medical marijuana patients and cannabis users are mis-informed by propaganda and telling people to vote no, while NORML, High Times, MAPS, MPP and other well known organizations are telling you to vote YES. This is what they do for a living, it is their job, why would they support the opposite of what they do, unless they are right and they know what they are supporting.

Vote YES on Prop 19.:super:

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InvisibleSuperD
Cacti junky
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Registered: 10/05/03
Posts: 6,648
Loc: The bridgesii bridge
Re: Drug decriminalization policy pays off [Re: guest1]
    #13334899 - 10/14/10 08:36 AM (13 years, 7 months ago)

This November will either be one of the greatest moments in our time, or it will turn out to be a shining example of just how fucking stupid humans are.


--------------------
:super:D
Manoa said:
I need to stop spending all my money on plants and take up a cheaper hobby, like heroin. :lol:

Looking for Rauhocereus riosaniensis seeds or live specimen(s), :pm: me if you have any for trade

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InvisibleGreen_T
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Registered: 10/02/08
Posts: 4,042
Loc: UK Flag
Re: Drug decriminalization policy pays off [Re: SuperD]
    #13334934 - 10/14/10 08:53 AM (13 years, 7 months ago)

Quote:

SuperD said:
This November will either be one of the greatest moments in our time, or it will turn out to be a shining example of just how fucking stupid humans are.




:thumbup:

I wonder what the posts will be on the shroomery news service on november 2nd and 3rd...


--------------------

"I have sworn upon the altar of god eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man" - Thomas Jefferson

Legalize Meth | Drug War Victims

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Offlineauronlives69
psychedelic monk
Male User Gallery

Registered: 04/19/09
Posts: 655
Last seen: 4 years, 10 months
Re: Drug decriminalization policy pays off [Re: veggie]
    #13334935 - 10/14/10 08:53 AM (13 years, 7 months ago)

its moving slower than a snail but progress none the less, only a matter of time :cool:


--------------------

The past is dead. It was all just a dream...

Edited by auronlives69 (10/14/10 09:02 AM)

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Offlinemothballs
Stranger in a strange land
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Registered: 04/30/10
Posts: 242
Last seen: 6 years, 1 month
Re: Drug decriminalization policy pays off [Re: veggie]
    #13335053 - 10/14/10 09:38 AM (13 years, 7 months ago)

sounds like i want to go to portugal

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Invisiblebadchad
Mad Scientist

Registered: 03/02/05
Posts: 13,379
Re: Drug decriminalization policy pays off [Re: veggie]
    #13335234 - 10/14/10 10:45 AM (13 years, 7 months ago)

It would be really interesting to see the actual analysis and where the author got his numbers from.

The major report on this (from the Cato institute) is cited ad nauseum as evidence of the effects of decriminalization, but I don't find the numbers to be that compelling.

The trends in deaths and drug use are pretty erratic, confounding their interpretation.


--------------------
...the whole experience is (and is as) a profound piece of knowledge.  It is an indellible experience; it is forever known.  I have known myself in a way I doubt I would have ever occurred except as it did.

Smith, P.  Bull. Menninger Clinic (1959) 23:20-27; p. 27.

...most subjects find the experience valuable, some find it frightening, and many say that is it uniquely lovely.

Osmond, H.  Annals, NY Acad Science (1957) 66:418-434; p.436

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OfflineRabid Jelly Bean
Stranger
Male


Registered: 01/25/10
Posts: 411
Loc: TX Flag
Last seen: 11 years, 24 days
Re: Drug decriminalization policy pays off [Re: Green_T]
    #13335744 - 10/14/10 12:52 PM (13 years, 7 months ago)

Quote:

Green_T said:
Quote:

SuperD said:
This November will either be one of the greatest moments in our time, or it will turn out to be a shining example of just how fucking stupid humans are.




:thumbup:

I wonder what the posts will be on the shroomery news service on november 2nd and 3rd...



:vaped:  or  :doublefu:

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OfflineSpooge
The Nutter
Registered: 04/21/04
Posts: 5,189
Loc: Ice patches that last for...
Last seen: 11 years, 5 months
Re: Drug decriminalization policy pays off [Re: badchad]
    #13339619 - 10/15/10 10:39 AM (13 years, 7 months ago)

Quote:

badchad said:
It would be really interesting to see the actual analysis and where the author got his numbers from.

The major report on this (from the Cato institute) is cited ad nauseum as evidence of the effects of decriminalization, but I don't find the numbers to be that compelling.

The trends in deaths and drug use are pretty erratic, confounding their interpretation.





Yeah, I was wondering the same thing.

I'd love to post this article on facebook for all my friends and family to see, but where are the sources and empirical evidence they speak of?

I personally believe it's true, and I have to say bravo to portugal, but just because some journalist says so doesn't make it a very convincing article.  Especially to a skeptic.

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InvisibleGreen_T
 User Gallery

Registered: 10/02/08
Posts: 4,042
Loc: UK Flag
Re: Drug decriminalization policy pays off [Re: Spooge]
    #13339719 - 10/15/10 10:58 AM (13 years, 7 months ago)

Quote:

ZoooftheMoon said:
Quote:

badchad said:
It would be really interesting to see the actual analysis and where the author got his numbers from.

The major report on this (from the Cato institute) is cited ad nauseum as evidence of the effects of decriminalization, but I don't find the numbers to be that compelling.

The trends in deaths and drug use are pretty erratic, confounding their interpretation.





Yeah, I was wondering the same thing.

I'd love to post this article on facebook for all my friends and family to see, but where are the sources and empirical evidence they speak of?

I personally believe it's true, and I have to say bravo to portugal, but just because some journalist says so doesn't make it a very convincing article.  Especially to a skeptic.





I think this is what you might be looking for: http://www.cato.org/pubs/wtpapers/greenwald_whitepaper.pdf


--------------------

"I have sworn upon the altar of god eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man" - Thomas Jefferson

Legalize Meth | Drug War Victims

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Invisiblebadchad
Mad Scientist

Registered: 03/02/05
Posts: 13,379
Re: Drug decriminalization policy pays off [Re: Green_T]
    #13340833 - 10/15/10 03:57 PM (13 years, 7 months ago)

That's the paper that us usually referred to.

It only contains data from 2001-2006 though.

With such a limited time-frame, I think it's difficult to make conclusions.  Some analyses seem more convincing than others.  I'd love to see it updated.


--------------------
...the whole experience is (and is as) a profound piece of knowledge.  It is an indellible experience; it is forever known.  I have known myself in a way I doubt I would have ever occurred except as it did.

Smith, P.  Bull. Menninger Clinic (1959) 23:20-27; p. 27.

...most subjects find the experience valuable, some find it frightening, and many say that is it uniquely lovely.

Osmond, H.  Annals, NY Acad Science (1957) 66:418-434; p.436

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