The bills PSD and PS on the decriminalization of synthetic drugs, which want to make a distinction between trade in and consumption of these new substances, have been approved in the Assembly of the Republic on Friday.
The two diplomas, which were widely approved and which are now being sent to the Parliament’s Committee on Constitutional Affairs, Rights, Freedoms and Guarantees, propose to update the 1993 Decree-Law that approved the legal regime applicable to trade in and the use of narcotics and psychotropic substances.
In practice, the legislative initiatives of the Social Democratic and Socialist parliamentary groups aim to safeguard situations of inequality between new psychoactive substances and classic drugs and to distinguish dealers from consumers by allowing the possession of small quantities for consumption.
The PSD diploma was voted in favor of all the banks, with the exception of the PAN, which abstained, while the socialist bill was approved with votes for the PS, the Liberal Initiative (IL), BE and Livre, against do Chega and the abstention of PSD, PCP and PAN.
At the debate held on TuesdayPSD and PS justified their diplomas on the decriminalization of synthetic drugs with the need to differentiate between dealers and consumers, also warning about the impact these new substances have in the autonomous regions.
“Twenty-seven years later, it is necessary to change the current legal framework to cover this new and harsh reality,” said Social Democratic deputy Sara Madruga da Costa, for whom the PSD diploma provides a “faster response and more effective response to this complex and alarming phenomenon” that mainly affects Madeira and the Azores.
According to the deputy the distinction between consumer and trader “is fundamental” to combat the phenomenon of synthetic drugs, by applying the same legal regime and the same principles of classic drugs to this new reality.
“That’s what our initiative aims to do. Distinguish the consumer from the dealer, the crimes of crime, with reference to daily doses, to treat those who need it and tighten the loopholes with the trade,” through the comparison of synthetic drugs with classics in the penal system, Sara Madruga da Costa noted.
PS deputy Cláudia Santos stressed that the “historic decision” was taken 23 years ago to decriminalize the possession of drugs for consumption in Portugal, but that from 2009 the number of people convicted of consumption offenses grew, against the option of the parliament.
“With this project, we want to reconfirm the consumer’s choice for prevention and treatment,” he explained the PS parliamentarian, who believes that possession of drugs for consumption “should not be a crime and that the amount of drugs held by a person” should only be an indication.
“Many drugs will be an indication that it is intended for trade, few drugs will be an indication that it is intended for consumption”said Cláudia Santos, who defended that “anyone found with 15 doses, because he lives inland and goes to an urban center to buy cheaper drugs for his own use, cannot be automatically treated as a criminal and sentenced to pity” .
For the deputy, allowing the criterion of the drug held by a person to work automatically “to say whether there is a crime or not is very unfair” because it can lead to the conviction of consumers and the impunity of dealers .
Also on Tuesday, the PS presented a draft resolution to conduct a study to understand the causes of the higher prevalence of trafficking and consumption of new psychoactive substances in the Azores and Madeirawhich was approved this Friday with the votes for PS, PSD, IL, PCP, BE, PAN and Livre and Chega abstained.
Source: DN
