Portugal and drugs THE RIGHT TO KNOW ALL THE TRUTH

POLICIES OF DRUG IN PORTUGAL

IT’S NECESSARY TO SPEAK ALL THE TRUTH 

It is necessary to go besides

the convenience

of the politically correct speech

By Luís Patrício

Lisbon  - Portugal

In the last ten years, frequently we read in the international press news about Portugal, that in the context of the drugs, shows one reality that isn’t always the truth of the ones that are working in the “land” next the drug consumers, even the patients and relatives, and next other professionals who also work in fact in the field. 

This subject already deserved our attention, and I already wrote in Portuguese language to demystify the over story communicating by the web.

Because I found recently in the web, another news, now from Australia containing some inaccuracies or mistakes about Portugal drug politic, I decided to give my contribute, my way of seeing our reality, my truth besides the official truth.

THE RIGHT TO KNOW ALL THE TRUTH

about Portugal and drugs

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/national/drug-war-failure-greens-want-portuguese-model-in-australia-20150719-gifsc9.html#ixzz3j20K8cNf

Richard Di Natale doesn’t know, but he has the right to know all the truth about Portugal and drugs. I recommend that at least he doesn’t say that in Portugal we haven’t no drug consumption increase. In fact, since de beginning of this century we had a gradually significant increase of the consumption of cocaine /freebase, of cannabis, of mda and similar, of alcohol misuse namely between adolescents male and female.

If there was good and very good changes, like “Portugal has seen a huge decline in all the things associated with harmful drug use”.

In truth, if the harm reduction law (2001), allowed this, we today go on without any hygienic consumption room, but we go on having several shooting galleries in several cities.

 
So we have to speak the whole truth.

Otherwise the increase of other drugs consumption, the quality of the interventions has been declining.

We also know that prior the decriminalization law (published in 2001), in fact, nobody was put in jail by the judge, because he or she was an illegal drug consumer. At the end of the 1990s, before the decriminalization, the old law was not applied to those who were consumers having their small quantity of illegal drug.

There are a few more inaccuracies or mistakes and I will have great satisfaction in sharing more information about our reality not official,  in order that you can offer to the Australians citizens a more realistic information.

I am Portuguese, I do not do politics of parties. I’m a MD psychiatrist and one of the pioneers in interventions in drug addiction in health services, working with addicts and families, directing facilities and intervening in Prevention and harm reduction. 

Since 1987 to 2008, I worked in the land and was in the director board  of the first and biggest service for drug addicts created in the Ministry of Health. I had been the technical supporter of the harm reduction law published in 2001.

If Richard Di Natale comes again to my country, I will have great satisfaction receiving him and, joined to visit some places that by the way probably it did not visited, where he will speak with citizens with whom probably he didn´t spoke. 

Greetings 
Luis Patrício

·         Collaborator of the Lisbon Harm Reduction Emergency Plan. (2000). Author of Projects on Harm Reduction (2001/2002).

·         Designated leader expert and consultant for the elaboration of the Portuguese Law of Harm Reduction and Damage Minimization (2000).

·            Author of:

§  Seven books on addiction field, two TV educational programs and one radio program on addiction field;

§  the Prevention educational Briefcase, Drug Prevention and Risk Behaviors Case (since 2003);

§  the videos at : https://www.youtube.com/user/psimedicina

§  the blogs:  http://drogaparaquesaiba.blogspot.pt/ and   http://maladaprevencao.blogspot.pt/

                            http://drugpreventioncase.blogspot.pt/and http://maletindeprevencion.blogspot.pt/

·           Opiate addiction specific clinical research & practice:

§  Acute withdrawal treatment in outpatient basis: Clonidine (1985/6), Guanfacine (1986/7) Tramadol (1990)

§  Opioid maintenance: Naltrexone oral (1989) pellets (1996). LAAM (1994), Buprenorphine (1999), Buprenorphine + Naloxone (2006).

·           Highlights in Opiate Addiction Treatment

§  Front runner for the dissemination of Naltrexone treatment in Portugal (1989), in cooperation with Professor Charles Nicolas (Centre Pierre Nicole, Paris - France);

§  Portuguese pioneer in LAAM treatment (1994-2000) with the cooperation of Professor Charles O’Brien’s team (VA, Philadelphia, USA), namely Professor Robert Greenstein.

§  Portuguese pioneer in the use of Naltrexone pellets (1996);

§  Leader of the launcher team for Buprenorfine treatment in Portugal (1999);

§  Leader of the launcher team for Buprenorphine+Naloxone treatment in Portugal (2006).

§  Portuguese representative at the Steering Committee of Quality Patient Care Network

·         Scientific presentations and lectures in Portugal and 31 other countries

Awarded Portuguese Ministry of Health for Distinguished Services, Silver Medal (2008).

Awarded EUROPAD Chimera – Zagreb (2010)

Awarded AATOD Nyswander - Dole Marie – Philadelphia (2013)