Two of the UK ’s top public health dead body have visit for the use of illicit drug to be legalize , allowing substance abuse to be deal with as a health issue rather than a criminal law-breaking . In a novel report entitledTaking a New Line On Drugs , the Royal Society for Public Health ( RSPH ) and the Faculty of Public Health ( FPH ) insist that prohibition and penalization only exacerbate the problems associated with drug use , which can only be fixed by taking drug insurance policy in a new direction .
“ The imbalance between vicious justice and health access to illicit drugs is counterproductive,”claimsFPH president Professor John Middleton , who adds that “ the time for reframing the global glide path to unlawful drug is long delinquent . ”
Call for the so - called “ War on drug ” to be brought to an terminal are certainly nothing new , with scores of public wellness experts from around the world now backingharm reductionrather than criminalization as the sound strategy to eliminate the problems tie in with drug use . Indeed , where this change of policy has been implemented , upshot have been impressive .
InPortugal , for instance , the possession and usance of all drugs was legalise in 2001 , allowing those with drug abuse disorders to seek medical help rather than face punishment . This new policy also made drug use much safer , as it allow for the dispersion of clean needle to those who inject .
As a result , the number of overdose end in Portugal fall from 80 in 2001 to 16 in 2012 , while unexampled HIV infections among drug injectors drop from more than 1,000 to just 56 over the same period .
imprison drug users , however , is often said to produce the opposite effect , with the novel report explaining that people are often more expose to drugs in prison , while the impingement of such criminal prosecution can disrupt menage ties and other societal relationships , as well as damage mass ’s exercise prospect . All of these factors are likely to have a detrimental effect on an case-by-case ’s psychological wellbeing , making them more probable to keep using drugs .
Furthermore , the abrasive penalization imposed upon drug users think that many who postulate assist are unable to receive it . For illustration , the report reveals that one in four people say they would be put off seeking service for drug - relate trouble because of the reverence of being prosecuted .
Image in schoolbook : The telephone number of overdose deaths plummet in Portugal after drug use was decriminalized in 2001 . Artem Furman / Shutterstock
“ The clock time has come for a new approach , where we recognize that drug use is a wellness issue , not a condemnable justice matter , and that those who pervert drug are in need of treatment and support – not criminals in need of penalisation , ” say RSPH master executive Shirley Cramer .
It ’s important to take down that the expert behind this call believe that those who produce and sell drugs should still be engage , but users – and peculiarly those suffering from dependence and other drug ill-usage upset – should not . or else , the authors of the report say more should be done to civilize schoolchildren about the true dangers of drugs , and “ evidence base ” public wellness table service should be offered to drug users .
This is something that looks like endorse by the public , according to a poll commissioned by the RSPH , which line up that 56 percent of adult in the UK support the musical theme of treating rather than punishing drug users in their local area .
One in four people say they would be put off try help for a drug problem because they revere the legal reverberation . Marcos Mesa Sam Wordley / Shutterstock
