Coffee shops and compromise: Separated illicit drug markets in the
Netherlands
Though famous for
its coffee shops, where cannabis can be purchased and consumed, the Netherlands
has accomplished many enviable public health outcomes through its drug policy.
These include low prevalence of HIV among people who use drugs, negligible
incidence of heroin use, lower cannabis use among young people than in many
stricter countries, and a citizenry that has generally been spared the burden
of criminal records for low level, nonviolent drug offenses.
Coffee Shops and Compromise: Separated Illicit Drug Markets in the Netherlands tells the history of the Dutch approach and describes the ongoing success of the country’s drug policy. This includes the impact of the Dutch “separation of markets,” which potentially limits people’s exposure and access to harder drugs.
Though coffee shops have traditionally commanded the most media attention, the Netherlands also pioneered needle exchange and safer consumption rooms, decriminalized possession of small quantities of drugs, and introduced easy-to-access treatment services.
These policies, coupled with groundbreaking harm reduction interventions, have resulted in the near-disappearance of HIV among people who inject drugs and the lowest rate of problem drug use in Europe.
Coffee Shops and Compromise: Separated Illicit Drug Markets in the Netherlands tells the history of the Dutch approach and describes the ongoing success of the country’s drug policy. This includes the impact of the Dutch “separation of markets,” which potentially limits people’s exposure and access to harder drugs.
Though coffee shops have traditionally commanded the most media attention, the Netherlands also pioneered needle exchange and safer consumption rooms, decriminalized possession of small quantities of drugs, and introduced easy-to-access treatment services.
These policies, coupled with groundbreaking harm reduction interventions, have resulted in the near-disappearance of HIV among people who inject drugs and the lowest rate of problem drug use in Europe.
To read the full document
Puerto Rico's ignored public health crisis: Drug use and HIV
The converging
issues of heroin drug dependence and HIV have emerged as a public health
emergency in Puerto Rico. With the government overwhelmed, non-profits groups
try to fill the void.
For the last
three decades, Puerto Rico's public health officials have
unsuccessfully fought a full-scale public health crisis. Today, the island has
one of the highest HIV/Aids infection rates in the US, and more than 50% of all
newly reported cases come from intravenous drug use.
Overwhelmed and
chronically underfunded, the existing framework of health programs struggles to
serve the island's estimated 60,000 intravenous drug users, so a patchwork of groups
tries to fill the void.
Original article
in the Guardian newspaper
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