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Description
Decision-making institutions lack knowledge on evidence-based drug policy, make populist decisions, and hardly cooperate amongst themselves and NGOs. Beneficiaries: people (especially young) who use drugs, their family and community. Target group: decision-makers involved in drug policy nationally and locally. Indirect target group: citizens, participating in public life and potentially making an influence on decision makers.
Objective: Stimulating implementation of effective drug policy, oriented towards public safety and health, through advocacy campaign to create favorable conditions for a) decriminalization and other evidence based solutions, b) developing an algorithm of referral from sanctions to assistance, piloting and evaluating it in Kaišiadorys municipality.
Proposed solution:
1. Advocacy and a public opinion campaign directed at advocating for regulation that reduces criminalization, promotes alternatives to punishment, and evidence-based drug policy; watchdogging of public decisions, proposing solutions. Through media, shaping public opinion on effective drug policy and facilitation of public discourse as it has influence on public decisions.
2. With Kaisiadorys Public Health Bureau, developing, piloting, evaluating and promoting to other municipalities an algorithm of institutional cooperation (based on Estonian practice) that ensures that a drug user is not persecuted but referred to services.
Results:
Strengthened advocacy of NGOs towards effective drug policy, through involvement in decision-making and proposing solutions.
Strengthened cross-sectoral cooperation of NGOs in advocacy.
Stimulated public discussions on evidence-based drug policy.
Increased awareness and information of decision makers and the public on effective drug policies.
An algorithm of referral from sanctions to assistance developed, piloted and evaluated in Kaišiadorys municipality.
The referral algorithm and its results presented to 10 other municipalities
Summary of project results
Project “Effective Drug Policy in Lithuania: Moving from Sanctions to Services“. Issue addressed: since 2017, possession of even miniscule amounts of illicit drugs for own use with no intent to sell is punished as criminal offence (highest legal liability). Such sanctions are legally unproportioned, excessive, in contradiction to WHO and UN recommendations on health-oriented drug policy, and harmful to person and society because they limit access to services, pushes people to underground and is not cost-effective. Decision-making institutions lack knowledge on evidence-based drug policy, make populist decisions, and hardly cooperate amongst themselves and NGOs.
The aim of the project is to accelerate the implementation of an effective drug policy focused on public safety and personal health in Lithuania through advocacy activities by creating favourable conditions for: a) decriminalisation of use; b) development, pilot implementation and evaluation of a diversion algorithm in Kaisiadorys District Municipality. We believe that we have achieved the project''s goal, which was reflected in two project objectives: a) to organise an advocacy and public opinion campaign for the implementation of a science-based drug policy; b) to develop and pilot an algorithm for cooperation between institutions in the municipality of Kaisiadorys district in the process of referring users to help.
Objective: Stimulating implementation of effective drug policy, oriented towards public safety and health, through advocacy campaign to create favourable conditions for a) decriminalization and other evidence based solutions, b) developed an algorythm of referral from sanctions to assistance, piloting and evaluating it in Kaišiadorys municipality.
Solution:
1. Advocacy and a public opinion campaign directed at advocating for regulation that reduces criminalization, promotes alternatives to punishment, and evidence-based drug policy; watch-dogging of public decisions, proposing solutions. Through media, shaping public opinion on effective drug policy and facilitation of public discourse as it has influence on public decisions. Although the legislative change did not take place (by just a few votes), the position of a number of decision makers was changes and broad information spread and discussions took place.
2. With Kaisiadorys Public Health Bureau, developed, piloted, evaluated and promoted to other municipalities an algorithm of institutional cooperation (based on Estonian practice) that ensures that a drug user is not persecuted but referred to services.
Beneficiaries: people (especially young) who use drugs, their family and community.
Target group:
decision-makers involved in drug policy nationally and locally.
citizens, participating in public life and potentially making an influence on decision makers.
Results:
Strengthened advocacy of NGOs towards effective drug policy, through involvement in decision making and proposing solutions.
Strengthened cross-sectoral cooperation of NGOs in advocacy.
Stimulated public discussions on evidence based drug policy.
Increased awareness and information of decision makers and the public on effective drug policies.
An algorythm of referral from sanctions to assistance developed, piloted and evaluated in Kaišiadorys municipality.
The referral algorythm and its results presented to 10 other municipalities
We have exceeded our goals with the number of advocacy activities (meeting more decision makers, participating in different formats to advocate for more effective drug policy in Lithuania). The issue of decriminalisation of narcotic substances has become a key issue on the national policy agenda and has been discussed at length. As of today (15-12-2022), we have the best drug policy outcome since 2017, with the Parliament approving the decriminalisation of the possession of small amounts of cannabis at the discussion stage.
The main institutions involved in the implementation of the algorithm recognise and appreciate the importance of the algorithm and the facilitator (case manager) and highlight the following positive aspects: 1) it has led to a greater awareness of the issue of psychoactive substance users and the search for possible solutions; 2) it has brought together different institutions and professionals to work together; 3) it has raised awareness of the issue at the societal level; 4) the professionals involved in the implementation and application of the Algorithm have had the opportunity to participate in training courses aimed at providing theoretical and practical knowledge on how to help people who use psychoactive substances. Although the Algorithm aimed to increase cooperation among all institutions providing assistance to dependent persons, the project has noticed that the population of active illicit psychoactive substance users is not large or not identified, and therefore not all institutions/institutions could engage in active cooperation, as they did not have a direct or indirect contact with the project target group.