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Highlights from Portuguese Drug Czar's First New Jersey Event at Rutgers Law School - Newark
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Highlights from Portuguese Drug Czar's First New Jersey Event at Rutgers Law School - Newark
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Yesterday at the Rutgers School of Law in Newark, Help Not Handcuffs, Inc., The Open Society Foundations, The Criminal Law Society and the Public Interest Law Society preseted "Drug Decriminalization: The Triumph of Human Rights and Health over the Drug War" featuring Dr. Joao Goulao, the Portuguese Drug Czar.
The take-away information is nothing short of shocking. Seventeen years ago Portugal, in the midst of a heroin crisis, decriminalized all drugs and transferred responsibility of addressing drug use out of the criminal justice system and into health institutions.
Seventeen years later here are some highlights of their outcomes side by side with New Jersey's outcomes which still criminalizes people who use drugs:
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New Jersey
Drug Criminalization
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Portugal
Drug DE-Criminalization
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Overdoses from Latest Year
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Approaching
3,000
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27
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New HIV Infections from Drug Use
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40% of all new HIV Infections are from Drug Use
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30 individuals –
people who are not addicted to drugs are more likely to contract HIV
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Drug Arrests for Personal Possession
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Approximately 40,000 +/- per year
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None
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Dr. Joao Goulao presented along with Dr. Kasia Malinowska, Director of the Global Drug Policy Program at the Open Society Foundations. Panelists included Tess Borden of the ACLU-NJ who authored the joint Human Rights Watch and ACLU report
"Every 25 Seconds: The Human Toll of Criminalizing Drug Use in the United States" and Carol Katz Beyer, Co-Founder of Families for Sensible Drug Policy.
More details to come soon!
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Left to right:
Dr. Joao Goulao, Portuguese Drug Czar and Kasia Malinowska, Ph.D., Global Drug Policy Progam, Open Society Foundations, presenting at the Rutgers School of Law - Newark at yesterdays discussion on Portugal's successful drug decrimninalization policy. |
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Tess Borden of the ACLU- NJ discussing her report
"Every 25 Seconds: The Human Toll of Criminalizing Drug Use in the United States" and also the severe collateral consequences of drug arrests. |
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| Carol Katz Beyer, Co-Founder of Families for Sensible Drug Policy discusses the harmful impact of drug criminalization on families in New Jesey. Carol lost two sons, Bryan and Alex to fentanyl-related overdoses. |
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Missed yesterday's event?
Register Now for the next two events on Friday, November 2nd!
Details below... |
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November 2nd
"Symposium on Opioid Addiction"
Rutgers School of Social Work
Alexander Library Pane Room
169 College Avenue
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Livestream available here: https://livestream.com/RutgersSSW
RSVP to: kcrimmins@ssw.rutgers.edu
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November 2nd
"Advocates Round Table with Mayor John B. Moor"
Parlor Gallery
717 Cookman Avenue
Asbury Park, NJ 07712
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Food and Drinks will be served.
RSVP to: Info@HelpNotHandcuffs.org
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Want to help with our community outreach efforts at these and other events? Email us at Info@HelpNotHandcuffs.org to sign up for volunteer opportunities! |
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Please consider supporting our work with a tax-deductible donation by clicking the "Donate" button below. Want to continually support Help Not Handcuffs, Inc? Select "Make this a monthly donation." |
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Help Not Handcuffs
501 (C) (3) Non-Profit Corporation |
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Help Not Handcuffs, Inc. is supported in its work as a recipient of legal servcies by Pro Bono Partnership. |
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