April 27, 2023
Health approach to drug harm worth considering
The head of a University of Otago study which found a strong link between long-term methamphetamine use and violence believes decriminalising all drugs is a good idea.
The Christchurch Health and Development Study also found users over 40 years old were more likely to show psychotic behaviour, which ceased if they stopped using.
Professor Joe Boden says if the aim is to reduce harm, New Zealand should look to Portugal which decriminalized all drugs in 2001, leaving police to focus on reducing supply while giving users greater opportunties for treatment or counselling.
“That by any reckoning has been a great success. Drug use has gone down for all drugs in all age groups and remains down and the rates of use are some of the lowest in Europe. I think it’s a smashing success and something worth considering,” he says.
Professor Boden says drug policy also needs to consider the psychological effects of Maori having been ripped away from their ancestral homes and the old ways of having families.