Are there real-life examples of how shifting to a treatment-oriented or social-oriented approach toward addiction improves outcomes for people?
Question 113 in Faith Seeking Freedom: Updated & Expanded
This question is from Faith Seeking Freedom: Updated & Expanded, available in paperback, PDF, and Kindle.
Yes, there are examples in recent memory that show this approach has merit.
Portugal adopted a policy of drug decriminalization in 2001. That policy shift was followed by a dramatic drop in Portugal’s overdose deaths, which are now five times lower than the European average. New HIV diagnoses dropped by over 90 percent among drug users most at risk of infection—those who use injectable drugs. More people entered treatment. Despite the reduced criminal penalties, drug use does not seem to have significantly increased among young people in Portugal since that time.
Switzerland implemented a health-focused drug policy in the 1980s and 1990s, involving public education campaigns, therapy and treatment, and harm reduction strategies like clean needle exchanges and even medically supervised use for the addicts who were deepest in addiction. These policies resulted in a massive reduction in Swiss crime, as fewer addicts were stealing to support their addictions. Homelessness fell, employment increased, overdoses fell, and HIV rates dropped. There was not a discernible increase in new users, and the addict population seems to be getting older, suggesting that fewer young people are becoming newly addicted.