Drug policy reform is possible in countries with conservative public attitudes and repressive policies \u2026<\/p>\n
A few years ago the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union (HCLU) launched a new project, the European Drug Policy Initiative (EDPI), to help NGOs improve their advocacy efforts to reform drug policies. As one of the first steps, in 2008 we conducted a public poll survey among the general population of six European countries to assess the views of people on various issues related to drug policy. The results showed that Polish people have the most conservative and restrictive views on drug policy in Europe. For example, the majority of Polish respondents (59 percent) favored a “war on cannabis” while the vast majority of respondents (76 percent) favored decriminalization or legalization in the Netherlands. The actual legislation also mirrors public opinion: Poland has one of the most punitive drug policies in the European Union. Every year, tens of thousands of young people are criminalized for the simple possession of illicit drugs. Because of these facts, we did not expect there to be any serious prospects of drug policy reform in this country. And yet the unexpected came true this… <\/span><\/p>\n