Thanks to the generous funding of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust I was able to travel to Portugal to study the way drug use is dealt with in terms of health awareness, harm prevention and treatment rather than as a criminal justice issue. I saw first hand how their health and social services operate under the country's system of drug use decriminalisation. In particular, I observed the workings of their unique system of Commissions for the Dissuasion of Drug Abuse (CDTs), civil institutions to which people who are stopped by the police buying, using or in possession of a certain amount of drugs (any type of drugs) are referred. The CDTs are part of a wide network of medical, psychological and social support which works according to a national strategy, reflecting a legal framework instituted in 2001 and aiming to promote wellbeing and (re)integration and to avoid stigma and marginalisation.
My aim was - and is - to help advance an informed debate in the UK about how we can improve drug users' health outcomes and divert them from the criminal justice system. Growing numbers of practitioners and advisers are calling for a review of drug policy in the UK. By speaking to the experts who have helped create and who operate Portugal's prevention model of decriminalisation, I want to shed some light on how reform of laws for the possession of drugs might impact upon the UK’s own policies in the fields of criminal justice, health and social policies.
This blog will set out some of my observations and experiences during the course of visits to the Aveiro and Lisbon districts of Portugal. A final report will be released in 2015.
The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust
www.wcmt.org.uk
The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust was established when Sir Winston Churchill died in 1965. Thousands of people, out of respect for the man and in gratitude for his inspired leadership, gave generously so that a living memorial to the great man could benefit future generations of British people. Each year approximately 100 British citizens are awarded Fellowships for a wide range of projects. The Trust’s objective for the Travelling Fellowships is to provide opportunities for British citizens to go abroad on a worthwhile enterprise of their own choosing, with the aim of enriching their lives by their wider experience – through the knowledge, understanding, and/or skills they gain – and, on their return, enhancing the life of their community by their example and the dissemination of the benefit of their travels. Further information can be found at:
http://www.wcmt.org.uk
My aim was - and is - to help advance an informed debate in the UK about how we can improve drug users' health outcomes and divert them from the criminal justice system. Growing numbers of practitioners and advisers are calling for a review of drug policy in the UK. By speaking to the experts who have helped create and who operate Portugal's prevention model of decriminalisation, I want to shed some light on how reform of laws for the possession of drugs might impact upon the UK’s own policies in the fields of criminal justice, health and social policies.
This blog will set out some of my observations and experiences during the course of visits to the Aveiro and Lisbon districts of Portugal. A final report will be released in 2015.
The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust
www.wcmt.org.uk
The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust was established when Sir Winston Churchill died in 1965. Thousands of people, out of respect for the man and in gratitude for his inspired leadership, gave generously so that a living memorial to the great man could benefit future generations of British people. Each year approximately 100 British citizens are awarded Fellowships for a wide range of projects. The Trust’s objective for the Travelling Fellowships is to provide opportunities for British citizens to go abroad on a worthwhile enterprise of their own choosing, with the aim of enriching their lives by their wider experience – through the knowledge, understanding, and/or skills they gain – and, on their return, enhancing the life of their community by their example and the dissemination of the benefit of their travels. Further information can be found at:
http://www.wcmt.org.uk