• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Drug Policy and Law
  • Harm Reduction
  • Activism

Drugreporter

News and Films from the Frontline of the War on Drugs

  • News
  • Café
  • Videos
  • About Us
  • EN
    • HU
    • RU

Report on the Criminalisation of Cannabis Users in Slovenia

February 9, 2016 | Author: Péter Sárosi

Tweet

ONEJ, a Slovenian cannabis reform NGO, has published a report on the criminalisation of cannabis users in Slovenia – a country which will soon see its first legal supervised injection room. The report also highlights the need to reform the country's drug laws!

The purpose of the report was to determine the situation regarding the penalisation of drug users in Slovenia, in both major and minor cases, and to compare it with the situation in the European Union.
 

 

 

As early as 2000, the Republic of Slovenia adopted a law intended to decriminalise the personal possession and use of all drugs. Unfortunately, the law has remained a dead letter; while in practice, the situation in Slovenia has escalated to such an extent that the level of drug-related crime per capita is among the highest in the EU. A closer analysis of the statistics, however, shows that some Police Directorates (and in consequence, the public prosecutor and the courts) have simply adjusted the low number of actual crimes, by treating as crimes, acts which should have been dealt with as minor offences. As a result, drug users have for several years been criminalised by the judiciary, the police and the public prosecutor, which effectively constitutes a high level of systemic corruption in this sphere. 

 

 

 


This report is being presented to the international public, as a result of the fact that the Ministry of Health of the RS continues to state, in official publications and reports to the EU, that it is impossible in the Republic of Slovenia to pass a prison sentence for possession of any drug for personal use – an assertion which is not factual. By so doing, the ministry has for years been misleading the European and other international institutionss. 

Official police crime statistics indicate significant unintended consequences of the drug control policy, including criminal cases related to cannabis use , both regionally and nationally. These statistics can also indicate, and subsequently influence, the workload and performance level of police forces throughout a country. As a result, the published findings could be misused, in order to mislead people into believing that treating personal cannabis use as a crime is an indicator of cannabis-related public health problems. Also, the police surely have better things to do than arrest people for getting high . In any case, sending drug users to jail is usually an expensive waste of time. 

The limited impact of repressive ( »decriminalisation«) cannabis polices on reducing drug markets, as well as the increased harms caused by these policies, need to be acknowledged. The fact is, that the socioeconomic deprivation of the majority of Slovenian people is associated with greater levels of public health problems, including drug-related harms, and can exacerbate the situation.

Božidar Radišič
ONEJ

Filed Under: Articles Topics: Criminalisation, Drug Policy and Law, European Drug Policy, Marijuana Policies

Access to this article is free - but to produce articles and videos is not. Drugreporter is a non-profit website that needs your support to provide you with high quality contents.

Become a supporter and make a donation of 5 $ today!

Kapcsolódó cikkek:

The Italian Anti-Rave Law Violates Human Rights – Interview with Susanna Ronconi

February 1, 2023 - Péter Sárosi

Decriminalisation in Portugal: Through the Lens of People who Use Drugs

December 5, 2022 - István Gábor Takács

Drugreporter News | 2022 November

November 24, 2022 - István Gábor Takács

Kapcsolódó videók:

Decriminalisation in Portugal: Through the Lens of People who Use Drugs

December 5, 2022 - István Gábor Takács

Drugreporter News | 2022 November

November 24, 2022 - István Gábor Takács

Harm Reduction in Athens – With the Eye of an Outsider

November 23, 2022 - Péter Sárosi

You can browse our topics here:

Activism COVID-19 Criminalisation Dose of Science Drug Consumption Rooms Drug Policy and Law European Drug Policy Harm Reduction Hepatitis HIV/AIDS Marijuana Policies Medical Marijuana Needle and syringe programs New Psychoactive Substances Opiate Substitution Overdose Prevention Psychedelic Medicines Regulation and Control Russian Drug Policy Sex Work United Nations Drug Policy US Drug Policy

Primary Sidebar

BECOME A SUPPORTER OF DRUGREPORTER! INVEST THE PRICE OF A COFFEE MONTHLY AND MAKE SURE DRUGREPORTER KEEPS RUNNING!
Subscribe to the Newsletter!

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Search

Drugreporter Video Database

Hundreds of videos on drug policy, harm reduction and human rights for streaming and download, also on a world map!

DRUGREPORTER NEWS

Monthly drug policy news from around the world

Drugreporter café

In our new online video show, we regularly discuss new developments in the world of drug policy with professionals, activists and decision makers. You can also listen to the Drugreporter Café in Podcast format on Spotify or Apple Podcasts!

COVID-19 Harm Reduction Update

On this info page Drugreporter provides regular updates about resources and news on how harm reduction service providers respond to the COVID-19 Epidemic.

Drugreporter Video Advocacy Network

Browse videos produced by members of our Drugreporter Video Advocacy Network, from all around the world!

DRUG USERS NEWS

Russian language videos on drug policy, harm reduction and human rights.

Our award winning animated documentary movie is based on the original audio recording of Kostya Proletarsky, a drug user and HIV activist who died as a result of mistreatment and torture at a Russian prison. Festival appearances, news and resources are available here!

Footer

Rights Reporter Foundation
Hungary, 1032 Budapest
San Marco Street 70.
Email: rightsreporter@rightsreporter.net

Search

Our other websites:

The Rights Reporter Foundation

The Autocracy Analyst

Room for Change Campaign

Room in the 8th District Campaign

A Day in the Life movie website

Drugreporter