Criminalising addiction: is there another way?
by Brigid Pike
This was the title of a conference hosted by CityWide Drug Crisis Campaign in Dublin on 21 May 2013. The objective was to start an evidence-based debate on Ireland’s current drug policies and the alternatives.1
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Breaking the taboo – debating the alternatives to criminalised addiction
by Brigid Pike
The first presenter at the CityWide conference, Brigid Pike (HRB), described how calls have been coming thick and fast from around the world since 2009 to ‘break the taboo’ on debating alternatives to the international drug prohibition regime.1
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Incarceration as a health strategy – imprisonment for drug offences in Ireland
by Brigid Pike
Reviewing Ireland’s history of using prison sentences, particularly medium- to long-term sentences, as its ‘main tactic’ in tackling the illicit drug market, and analysing trends in the prison population over the same period, Liam Herrick (IPRT), the second presenter at the CityWide conference, argued that the tactic had not been effective. He also showed that the policy approach is not based on any strong evidence.
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Beyond criminalisation
by Johnny Connolly
The dominant paradigm for understanding the effects of drug laws is the rational choice perspective derived primarily from classical economic theory. This theory rests on the assumption that people are rational actors capable of evaluating the consequences of alternative choices. It also assumes that human behaviour is essentially hedonistic and motivated by the desire for pleasure and the avoidance of pain. The purpose of the criminal law is to make the punishment for criminal behaviour greater than the pleasure to be derived from it.
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Global trends in decriminalisation
by Brigid Pike
Decriminalising drug possession does not lead to any statistical increase in drug use. This was the key message of the final presenter at the CityWide conference, Niamh Eastwood, executive director of UK-based Release. She spoke about a recent Release report on drug decriminalisation policies around the world.1
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EU action plan on drugs 2013–2016 adopted
by Brigid Pike
On 6–7 June 2013 the European Council adopted the new EU action plan on drugs for 2013–2016.1 Linked to the EU drugs strategy for 2013–2020,2 this action plan is organised around five pillars: - Drug demand reduction
- Supply reduction
- Co-ordination
- International co-operation
- Information, research, monitoring and evaluation.
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