Poland - on its way to a new drug policy
Artur Radosz
realistic proposal of progressive new drug laws.
After analyzing the enormous social and health-related costs of
criminalising the personal use of drugs, which resulted from decisions
made in 2000, the Ministry of Health has recommended
de-criminalization of personal use again. The new laws would change
our policy from the costly and counter-productive "zero-tolerance"
model, back to a sensible harm-reduction appoarch.
Dr. Marek Balicki, Poland's Minister of Health stated, "We still have
the illusion that if we have criminal punishment for illict drugs
possession, then we will solve the drug problem. Making criminals from
young people that have tried drugs is without sense. This is not a
good road. We should punish dealers, not their victims."
Dr. Balicki stated that criminialisation of drug possession caused
much harm to society and didn't produce any positive results. This
rational analysis by the Department of Health observed that imposing
criminal penalties for drug possession hasn't stopped people from
using drugs and hasn't made drugs any less available.
The new law in Poland also allows for other positive innovations. A
change in the 'marijuana' drug law makes it easier for farmers to
obtain a permit needed to grow industrial Cannabis, hemp. This
broadens the possibilities for hemp in different sectors of our food
production, manufacturing industries and trade. Farming organically to
produce industrial feedstocks for making paper, food, cloth, building
materials, plastics, cosmetics and health products, allows for a major
economic shift, with enormous potential for increasing Poland's
resource base.
Another important change allows for the research and development of
Cannabis-based therapeutics. However only synthetic THC based
medicaments are allowed to be sell throught pharmacies.
Beside the progressive changes, the new law proposes to ban products
that, in any way, refer to illegal drugs. For example, under the new
law, people will not be allowed to buy or produce t-shirts made
showing a Cannabis leaf design. Wearing such a shirt would be punished
by a fine. This will also apply to any songs, videos or musical albums
about Cannabis.
The new law, after public review, will go to the Parliament for
consideration and approval in the Spring. The Ministry of Health
stated that it would finish its legislative process just before
Autumn.
Kanaba commends the wisdom and initiative of Poland's Minister of
Health. We believe that this proposition is the first step on a road
to develop truly effective and rational drug policies that are not
entangled in expensive and ineffective, repressive strategies. Only
through decriminalization of drugs, proper education and a functional
healthcare system can we hope to reduce the harms done to society and
individuals by the abuse of drugs.
The proposal made by the Ministry of Health, in its current form, is
not perfect. At Kanaba, we hope that by working together with other
Polish drug policy organizations, we will be able to improve the
effectiveness of our drug control system, based more in recent
recommendations made by the European Parliament's CATANIA Report.
We strongly recommend that the final version of these new drug laws
will make it possible to distribute not only synthetic THC-based
pharmaceuticals through the pharmacies, but will also allow people the
individual freedom to grow their own herbal therapeutics in their
gardens.
We adamantly disagree with Article 69 that seeks to ban products that
contains images, slogans, names or anything that could resemble llegal
drugs. The effects of such legislation on young people are to create a
"forbidden fruit," having the opposite result than intended. If
Article 69 is included in the final version of Poland's drug laws,
then we will have no choice than to go to appeal the matter to the
Court. This article is obviously a crude attempt at 'thought control'
which violates our Polish Constitution. Any form of "prevention
censorship" that threatens people's "guarantees to freedom of
expression" is against the law and must always remain so.
Please, send Your comments to our Ministry of Health. They are waiting
for it until 4 February. E-mail address is m.s...@mz.gov.pl, fax
number + 48 (0)22 634 92 13.
Artur Radosz
Coordinator of Kanaba.info
Polish Association for effective and rational drug policy
e-mail: ar...@kanaba.info
phone: +48 693 094 498
fax: +48 (0)22 74 11 890
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