Help instead of punishment for people who are addicted to heroin, fentanyl or cocaine: Portugal has been trying this out for years, and North American regions are now doing the same. But the projects are in crisis.
In the Canadian province of British Columbia, the police have been using a new weapon for some time: kindness, whenever they encounter a person who is carrying a packet of heroin, fentanyl, cocaine or other drugs. Instead of imposing penalties, police officers should now politely point out offers of help. For a year now, possession of small amounts of hard drugs has no longer been harshly punished in the province. The US states of Oregon and Washington took this route three years ago. One could almost think that after the increasingly widespread legalization of cannabis, there would now be more freedom when it comes to hard drugs. In fact, attempts at decriminalization are currently in serious crisis.