Punish or Legalise - Discussion about drugs in Poland
Since 1989, after the system has changed and borders have opened, Poland, known mainly as one of the biggest amphetamine producers (with Belgium and Holland), has become a drug consumer. Obviously, it didn’t happen in one day, it was continuous process that lasts till today.
The use of drugs nowadays is ten times bigger than it was four years ago. Statistics made by The Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology in Warsaw show that 23% of students under 18 had contact with amphetamine, 8% of them with heroin. 40% of youngsters had tried or regularly use marihuana. The other independent researcher was examining a group of 3000 people over 16 considering use of Indian cannabis. In the group of youngsters between 16-24 over 48% had a contact with it, at the age range from 24 to 35 it was 28%, amongst people older than 35 it was 17,5%. As statistics are only statistics, many experts asked what is the real use of illegal substances in Poland can’t really answer the question, agreeing at one point – the use is definitely bigger than the statistics show. What is known, on the basis of information get from Information Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction the amount of drug addicts can be from 30 till even 71 thousands, which still is pretty far from any precise information.
The most “popular” drugs used in Poland are: marihuana, hashish, heroin, amphetamine, LSD, extasy and cocaine. It’s not only young people, who use or are addicted - the group of adults (older than 35) using drugs has grown in last years as well. It’s hard to generalize which social groups are more likely to use drugs. As Janusz Sieros³awski from The Information Centre for Drugs and Drug addiction says: Cannabis, for example, is very democratic: both – poor and reach use them, for the first ones they are fun, for the seconds the run away from their problems.
The new law introduced in 2000 has changed the previous policy from 1997, which allowed to posses small amount of drugs for personal use only, without any legal consequences. According to the new policy from 2000 every person, on whom the smallest amount of drug is found can be punished up to three years with a jail penalty. The same penalty is to be used for people, who offers narcotics to somebody or makes somebody use it. A person, who sells drugs, is to be punished with a jail penalty, according to the importance of crime from 8 months to 10 years. In addiction to this, court can also punish with extra fine of amount of 50.000 PLN, which will be used by government as anti-drug policy sources.
Strict anti-drug policy introduced in 2000 is continued by the new right wing Polish government. Children and youth protection are main goals of social campaigns organised by civil organisations, NGOs and police in the cooperation with schools and parents. During last years national social campaigns were being introduced regularly, involving public television and famous people standing as examples of the ones, who made a choice not to take drugs (campaign was called Drugs - I don't take). Campaigns were prepared for universities (Universities free from drugs) and for secondary schools, where surprisingly the use of drugs is bigger than at universities (You take You loose).
In 2004 European Parliament, after researches about drug use in European countries (2000-2004) has made a statement that strict anti-drug policy, called by its opponents American war with drugs and drug users didn’t bring any visual results. As the reaction to that new face of social campaign appeared in Poland. KANABA – Association for Rational and Effective Drug Policy started its pro-legalisation fight, more precisely demanding legalisation of marihuana, hashish, LSD, which would be sold in coffee shops. In May every year they organise MMM – Million Marihuana March, in addiction to that, May 2007 is called The Month of Solidarity with Drug Addicts.
Summing up the situation in Poland, we see more and more alarming statistics combined with some news braking up once in a while (12 year old girl overused heroin, 19 year old boy killed by drug dealer). Fight against the problem consists of two ideas: from one side strict anti-drug attitude and from the other side pro-legalisation policy. It seems that both of them fight for the same – decreasing amount of drugs used in Poland and solving the problem, which in the period of last years has become a not cured illness of Polish society. The only trouble is lack of communication between two opposite camps. Poland is to face final confrontation in a year - in 2008 in Vienna final evaluation of anti-drug policy (introduced in Poland in 2000) will be held. The meeting is organised by ONZ Commission dealing with drug problems. Problem still becomes unsolved - the social awareness of drug taking consequences, gained by constantly introduced campaigns still doesn’t go in line with lower amount of drug users, moreover it seems to be the contrary.
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