The new issue of Hot Press contains an in-depth report on how Portugal’s health-driven drug decriminalisation laws have seen overdose deaths there being reduced from 300 to 23 a year.
It also has details of the first Hot Press, Ana Liffey Drug Project and London School of Economics Drug Policy Town Hall meeting, which is taking place at 6.30pm on Tuesday June 12 in Dublin’s Wood Quay Venue.
The special guest speaker will be Dublin GAA star Philly McMahon who tragically lost his brother to heroin.
Expect a night of lively debate with added musical and cinematic surprises.
Tickets are free and available on a first come, first served basis here

In our Hot Press Special Drugs Report, Stuart Clark also highlights the fact that problem drug use in the same period has halved from 100,000 to 50,000 people, and that new HIV cases in Portugal where intravenous drug use is a factor has dropped from 60% to 6%.
Instead of being sent to court, people caught in possession of drugs for their personal use have to appear before a Dissuasion Commission typically made up of a psychologist, social worker and lawyer.
They help tease out whether it’s recreational drug use or something more problematic that can be rooted in family problems, homelessness, unemployment, depression, immigration difficulties or trouble at work or school.
If it’s the latter, people are referred to the relevant services. Thirteen different government ministries and the police have come together to ensure that the decriminalisation policy is as joined up as possible.
With only 13% of people seeing the Dissuasion Commission more than once, the model seems to be working extremely well.

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