In 1 month it will be exactly 36 years since the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Drug Trafficking, approved by the UN General Assembly in 1987. The official date of this day is June 26 every year. On the same day, the Support, Don't Punish campaign has been held for several years: people and organizations around the world go out on pickets, give lectures and write texts to draw attention to the dangerous consequences of the war on drugs. The BB team had a conversation about humane drug policy with representatives of the drug treatment sector.
About 26% of U.S. prisoners received time for crimes related to illegal substances (1.6 million annually). This is the result of the «war on drugs» (war on drugs). This is the name given to a set of repressive measures to combat drug trafficking initiated by the state. The term was introduced in 1971 by American President Richard Nixon. After 40 years, the Global Commission on Drug Policy recognizes that the war on substances declared on drugs has been lost and calls for decriminalization of some of them. In 2016, a former Nixon adviser revealed that the president needed the campaign to undermine public confidence in left-wing pacifists and African-Americans.
«Did we know we were lying about the purpose of drug prohibition? Of course» — he said in an interview with Harper's magazine.
The BB team agrees that such measures are ineffective. First of all, addicts should be provided with social support — then the harm from substance use will be reduced.
Aggressive drug policy on the part of the state leads to many problems. The first is fear. People who use drugs are afraid of being locked up, because legally they are committing a crime. There have been cases when police officers have planted illegal drugs on detainees to give them harsher punishment and conducted illegal «test purchases». In judicial practice, there are many cases in which convicted persons who bought drugs at the request of third parties «for a friend» became defendants. From a police officer's point of view, they are dealers.
In addition, drug prohibition can draw a person into a criminal environment. Let's imagine a situation like this: an ordinary student who smokes weed regularly interacts with a dealer who commits other crimes. Over time, the young person will become acquainted with people from the criminal environment, and his or her environment will change.
Another unfortunate consequence of repressive drug policies is that access to medical care is complicated. Drug users are afraid of doctors because they are often discriminated against. In addition, there is a widespread perception that health care providers often report everything to the police, despite doctor-patient confidentiality.
This fear can lead to a person's death — for example, if their friends do not risk calling an ambulance in case of an overdose. For the same reason, it can be difficult for drug users to seek help for HIV, tuberculosis or hepatitis.
This war makes it harder for seriously ill people to access strong painkillers. For example, narcotic drugs are prescribed to people with stage four cancer. To get the drugs they need, they have to reaffirm each time that they are really sick and need them.
The next problem is shame. Society may push away an addict because his behavior does not correspond to the generally accepted ideas about the right way of life.
For example, when the state finds out that a person is using drugs, he or she is registered with special state structures, but instead of social assistance he or she gets problems at school, university and work. In theory, this system should help, but in the end the situation only gets worse.
This fear can lead to a person's death — for example, if their friends do not risk calling an ambulance in case of an overdose. For the same reason, it can be difficult for drug users to seek help for HIV, tuberculosis or hepatitis.
This war makes it harder for seriously ill people to access strong painkillers. For example, narcotic drugs are prescribed to people with stage four cancer. To get the drugs they need, they have to reaffirm each time that they are really sick and need them.
The next problem is shame. Society may push away an addict because his behavior does not correspond to the generally accepted ideas about the right way of life.
For example, when the state finds out that a person is using drugs, he or she is registered with special state structures, but instead of social assistance he or she gets problems at school, university and work. In theory, this system should help, but in the end the situation only gets worse.
«Have you ever seen how a college drug education program for kids works? I had to experience it in my practice. An aunt comes in and says, ‘If you find out that your classmate George has smoked pot, you must turn him in to the police immediately’. Schoolchildren are indoctrinated with information that is completely untrue» — says a 19-year-old girl.
She talks about anonymous tests for students that were not really tests. According to her, teachers discussed the answers among themselves, and tests were forced to be taken at school without the presence of medical personnel. Since children under 15 needed the consent of their parents, who stood up for her, the girl managed to avoid the humiliating procedure.
«It is believed that a person who uses drugs becomes an outcast for society and brings problems. When he needs money, he can steal, cheat, in the withdrawal stage he often becomes aggressive. Even if family members love him, they also have difficulties. They are afraid that the person will use drugs and will be in an unclear state, will behave inadequately. What if he has withdrawal? There are such fears» — says one of the active users of the bbgate forum.
She talks about anonymous tests for students that were not really tests. According to her, teachers discussed the answers among themselves, and tests were forced to be taken at school without the presence of medical personnel. Since children under 15 needed the consent of their parents, who stood up for her, the girl managed to avoid the humiliating procedure.
«It is believed that a person who uses drugs becomes an outcast for society and brings problems. When he needs money, he can steal, cheat, in the withdrawal stage he often becomes aggressive. Even if family members love him, they also have difficulties. They are afraid that the person will use drugs and will be in an unclear state, will behave inadequately. What if he has withdrawal? There are such fears» — says one of the active users of the bbgate forum.
Social psychology says that drug addicts usually become addicts for a reason — these people are driven by something: misunderstanding in the family, unloved work, low social status, etc. When society starts to punish a person for drug addiction, it only gets worse.
In one TED talk, writer Johan Hari tells two stories that change the conventional view of drugs and addiction.
The first is about «Rat Park», an experiment conducted in the late 1970s by psychologist Bruce Alexander. He found that rodents living in an empty cage were more willing to drink water diluted with morphine than normal water. But if you equip the space with a lot of toys and lasers, only 5% of the animals will entertain themselves while continuing to use the drug. The second example is the experience of Portugal, which decriminalized all drugs in 2001, after which the number of deaths from overdoses and AIDS dropped dramatically.
In one TED talk, writer Johan Hari tells two stories that change the conventional view of drugs and addiction.
The first is about «Rat Park», an experiment conducted in the late 1970s by psychologist Bruce Alexander. He found that rodents living in an empty cage were more willing to drink water diluted with morphine than normal water. But if you equip the space with a lot of toys and lasers, only 5% of the animals will entertain themselves while continuing to use the drug. The second example is the experience of Portugal, which decriminalized all drugs in 2001, after which the number of deaths from overdoses and AIDS dropped dramatically.
I think that the state should encourage people to give up drugs, but then it (the state) should not «drive» people back and give them a chance to get better. In Portugal, for example, the government has come to the point where the drug addict is given conditions in which he lives like everyone else and is not controlled, but only helped in complex therapy: after all, whether to use or not is his personal choice, and it is not so important when he has a job and other social opportunities. It seems to me that if scientists, doctors, psychologists, and not law enforcement agencies made decisions about drug policy in any state, all countries would have already moved towards support rather than punishment» — says a BBgate Forum medical expert.
But how can you help an addicted person when the state declares war on him? Most often, relatives give the drug user money to buy new psychoactive substances, or they constantly tell him that it is harmful and endlessly ask him when he will stop using drugs. In our opinion, both ways are very destructive and are bad triggers for the addict.
They believe that you have to learn how to express your love for a person but not support their addiction, which can be difficult.
But how can you help an addicted person when the state declares war on him? Most often, relatives give the drug user money to buy new psychoactive substances, or they constantly tell him that it is harmful and endlessly ask him when he will stop using drugs. In our opinion, both ways are very destructive and are bad triggers for the addict.
They believe that you have to learn how to express your love for a person but not support their addiction, which can be difficult.
«My mother is very dependent on alcohol, and it's hard for me to live with it. I went through probably all stages, including locking her up at home, but at some point I realized that such measures were not working. I thought, ‘what else is there for her to do?’. My mom lives alone, my father died a long time ago, she's many years old, she hasn't found meaning in her life, she hasn't developed any hobbies, she has no grandchildren. And she was left with only one way out — what the man in the video was talking about, alcohol. So I made a moral commitment to myself to just call my mom every day. Clearly, this won't solve the problem, but I feel like the more time I give her, the less constipated she becomes. However, as soon as she starts, in my opinion, behaving inappropriately, I get angry again» — says one BBgate forum user.
It's like a spiral: the angrier I get, the more guilty and abandoned she feels, so she drinks even more — and I get even angrier.
I agree that it's a tough job to stay on top of things and pay attention, but I don't think there's anything else to do.
It’s fashionable now to oppose sexist and homophobic haters, but for some reason no one opposes narco-phobia.
If everyone could react to lines like «Addicts are bad people», «Addicts should be imprisoned», «Addicts should be burned or shot» — it would be easier to fight this dehumanization, to object, to explain — says the BBgate forum expert.
Some people wonder why society needs drug addicts. But a person does not choose this way, just as he or she does not choose poverty or loneliness. This is a social problem, although society does not recognize it, believing that it is all about the low morality of this or that individual.
BBgate experts believe that society «needs» everyone: drug addicts, members of the LGBT community, people with different diagnoses and skin color — everyone is needed and important.
It's like a spiral: the angrier I get, the more guilty and abandoned she feels, so she drinks even more — and I get even angrier.
I agree that it's a tough job to stay on top of things and pay attention, but I don't think there's anything else to do.
It’s fashionable now to oppose sexist and homophobic haters, but for some reason no one opposes narco-phobia.
If everyone could react to lines like «Addicts are bad people», «Addicts should be imprisoned», «Addicts should be burned or shot» — it would be easier to fight this dehumanization, to object, to explain — says the BBgate forum expert.
Some people wonder why society needs drug addicts. But a person does not choose this way, just as he or she does not choose poverty or loneliness. This is a social problem, although society does not recognize it, believing that it is all about the low morality of this or that individual.
BBgate experts believe that society «needs» everyone: drug addicts, members of the LGBT community, people with different diagnoses and skin color — everyone is needed and important.
