[ad_1]
“Decriminalization is the substitution of administrative criminal responsibility for possession of small amounts of drugs. Solid scientific evidence shows that the application of criminal responsibility as we have it now is irrational and places a heavy burden on public health. Therefore, this bill is a step from yesterday that should be taken as soon as possible so that we can begin to develop a truly effective and health-oriented drug policy in Lithuania, ”says Morgana Danielė, representative of the Freedom Group, in the report.
The decriminalization of small amounts of drugs is also provided for in the State Law on Prevention of the Use and Control of Drugs, Tobacco and Alcohol 2018-2028, presented by the previous, seventeenth Government and approved by the last Seimas. Program.
Sigismund Gedvila / 15min photo / Morgana Danielė
It is also stated that the number of criminal cases for possession of small amounts of drugs started to grow in 2017, when after the entry into force of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Republic of Lithuania, administrative liability for this offense was abolished. The number of such cases has doubled in three years.
M. Danielle qualifies such regulation as a misunderstanding and emphasizes that current laws contradict the principle of proportionality of penalties: prohibitions and penalties of criminal laws should be taken only when it is unavoidable, it is impossible to solve the problem by other legal and social means .
According to her, we currently have a large number of people affected by such a law in Lithuania, including many young people and people with addictive disorders. For the former, it is a stain that deprives them of future opportunities, for the latter, the application of such laws today only complicates, and often deprives, access to treatment and recovery, the recovery of the necessary social skills and a return suitable to society.
“The most effective and least costly solution for the state is to refer a person who is addicted or who uses psychoactive substances to participate in treatment or behavior change programs. The latter help a person to comprehensively address problems related to use harmful of psychoactive substances: homelessness, unemployment, comorbidities, infections and other associated health problems, loss of social skills, etc.
In this way, in the long run, the problem is really solved and a person escapes from the vicious circle of courts and prisons that we are seeing now, ”says M. Danielle.
[ad_2]
