YPWUD and law enforcement interactions - drugs are not born in trees or sent to parties with the force of a Jedi


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    <p>ID: HR19-1268</p>

    <p><i>Presenting author:</i>
                                    Joana Pereira                        </p>

    <h4 class="My(0)">Presenting author biography:</h4>
            Joana Pereira works at CHECK!N - Free Mind To Fly, a harm reduction and benefits maximization project in party settings that operates in Portugal since 2006. A graduate of  University of Porto with a master in psychology, her research interests include harm reduction, human rights, party settings and psychedelics.    
    <h1 class="Fz(1.3rem)">YPWUD and law enforcement interactions  - drugs are not born in trees or sent to parties with the force of a Jedi</h1>

    <p>Joana Pereira, Joana Canedo, Andreia Nisa, Diana Marques</p>

    <p>Around the world, young people who use drugs (YPWUD) still face the death penalty and other criminal offenses, troubles at work or enforced rehabilitation. Back to 2001, and as an alternative to coercive punishment, Portugal’s decriminalization law was introduced and since then has been worldwide studied as an example of drug policy that has improved public health and social order with a strong focus on health and human rights (Greenwald, 2009; Domoslawski, 2011; Stevens &amp; Hughes, 2012). However, reports from outreach work in party settings with YPWUD provide us pictures of a different contemporary reality: interactions with law enforcement agencies (LEA) are still punitive and abolitionist-based, cases of criminalization of drug use are still occurring (even within the determined amount for personal use) and YPWUD are not always being connected with the health structures once they are in contact with the system. Nevertheless the data available, an evaluation considering PWUD’s perceptions of the Decree-law 30/2000 has never been done. <br />
Through snowball sampling, testimonies from YPWUD were gathered, outlining experiences and interactions with LEA, in order to illustrate the discrepancies between theory and practice. Semi structured interviews with LEA were gathered and LEA’s campaigns targeting youth in Portugal were also analysed..<br />
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In 2015 drug use misdemeanours reached 10380 legal proceedings, the highest number since 2001 (SICAD, 2017), revealing that the youth is not free of facing legal consequences or even “invitation to treatment”. Therefore, more research and advocacy campaigns must be done to address the gaps and “eventual”  discriminatory action of LEA, namely considering the review of possession of precision scales (Decree-law 15/93), having in account poly drug use; gender specific approaches; the right to privacy and, moreover, the urgent legal regulation of drugs in a country where officially is not a crime to use or possess drugs.</p>
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