Portugal shows the way ahead on drugs policy | Letters

Yasmin Batliwala and Ian McCauley praise Portugal’s non-punitive approach to drug addiction

The driving force behind Portugal’s capacity to rescue itself from the throes of an opioid crisis is an emphasis on personalised care that galvanises the community and functions conterminously with the decriminalisation of all substances (The big fix: Portugal’s truce on drugs, 5 December). Crucially, Portugal’s radical policy has gone some way to eradicate the taboo on drug misuse. This cultural shift highlights the very tangible affects of ostracising users from the local community, be it through labelling them with derogatory language – “junkie” or “smackhead” etc – or by deeming them antisocial criminals.

As the UK sinks further into its opioid epidemic, the necessity of radically reforming its legal, political and sociocultural policies on drugs is pushed further to the fore. This means shifting the emphasis from criminalisation to healthcare, increasing public spending on health services, and encouraging communal support for drug users.
Yasmin Batliwala
Chair, WDP drug and alcohol charity

Continue reading... December 11, 2017 at 12:19AM