Re:Most People with Addiction Simply Grow Out of It
by jdietrich on Saturday February 17, 2024 @10:42PM
(#39415969)
>Does harm reduction include safe access to drugs?
Only if it's part of an evidence-based and empirically validated strategy. We know that safe access to drugs can work as part of a harm reduction strategy, but there's also good reason to believe that thoughtless moves towards decriminalisation or legalisation can exacerbate harms. The Swiss model has worked incredibly well after a lot of difficult trial-and-error, but the Portuguese model is increasingly looking like a mistake. Even with the relatively lower-risk example of cannabis legalisation, we're seeing a very mixed picture in terms of outcomes. The devil is in the details.
Re:Most People with Addiction Simply Grow Out of It
by j0057 on Sunday February 18, 2024 @05:43AM
(#39417988)
The Portugal model consists of decriminalisation, harm reduction and rehabilitation, but the Portuguese government has basically defunded the rehabilitation programs. Seems to me no wonder that the approach is failing if you take away the one factor that would reduce addictions, but also disingenuous to claim that the entire approach was a mistake. It worked, and now after defending an important part of it, it no longer works.
Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/07/07/portugal-dru...
To many ignorant people have an opinion on this though, as you can see in some of these comments. If you never used drugs, don't know people that died needlessly, you don't get to have an opinion.