Decriminalization of Drugs and Harm Reduction

Flashcards covering key terms, historical timelines, and policy shifts related to the War on Drugs, decriminalization models, harm reduction initiatives, and recriminalization efforts.

Three Approaches to Substance Use Problems

The three distinct frameworks used to address drug issues: Criminal Justice, Public Health, and Social Structure.

1971 War on Drugs Declaration

The milestone event where President Richard Nixon escalated drug policy by calling drugs "public enemy number one."

1983 School and Prevention Campaigns

The launch year of the "Just Say No" campaign and the implementation of D.A.R.E. programs within schools.

Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986

U.S. legislation that established mandatory minimum sentences regardless of circumstance for drug offenses, including marijuana, crack, and powder cocaine.

Crack vs. Powder Cocaine 1986 Sentencing Disparity

A policy mandating the same 5-year sentence for $5\,\text{g}$ of crack as for $500\,\text{g}$ of cocaine; it reinforced racial stereotypes by penalizing crack (associated with poor Black Americans) more severely than powder cocaine (associated with wealthy White Americans).

"This is your brain on drugs"

A 1987 fear-based anti-drug advertisement that lacked empirical evidence, failed to provide avoidance strategies, and promoted unsupported claims that cannabis is a gateway drug.

Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (1996)

Federal Canadian drug legislation passed in 1996 marking a critical stage in the formalization of national drug policy.

Decriminalization vs. Legalization

Decriminalization refers to an approach where individuals are not criminally charged for personal possession, whereas legalization involves government regulation and distribution of the substance.

Portugal's Decriminalization Model

A nationwide shift to decriminalize personal drug possession that offered help instead of punishment; early outcomes included a sharp drop in HIV transmission from shared needles and decreased prison populations with no surge in drug use.

Harm Reduction

Public health strategies focused on safe supply and mitigating risks (such as opioid agonist treatment, naloxone, sterile syringes, and safe consumption sites) rather than requiring abstinence or immediate drug treatment.

Consumption and Treatment Services (CTS)

Facilities that offer supervised drug use, needle distribution, naloxone, and health and addiction care at some sites, but do not provide housing and treatment beds.

HART Hub

Service centers that provide naloxone, health and addiction care, and housing and treatment beds (as funded), but prohibit supervised drug use and needle distribution.

Oregon Decriminalization Timeline

A policy measure that decriminalized drugs from February 2021 to August 2024, until possession was made a crime again in September 2024 primarily over concerns about visible public use.

British Columbia (B.C.) Decriminalization Pilot

A pilot project running from January 2023 to January 2026, which was partially reversed in May 2024 to make public drug use a crime again following backlash regarding visible drug use.

2018 Canadian Cannabis Legalization

The legal regulation of cannabis in Canada that reduced social stigma and made cannabis readily available, resulting in stable youth use and increased use among young adults.