This is the second edition of the report of the office of the Ombudsman for Drug Dependent People. Specific criminal cases clearly demonstrated the gap between the objectives of the Act on Counteracting Drug Addiction, and the practice of its enforcement. Analysis of the cases included in this report shows that despite the announced changes, law enforcement continues to produce criminals prosecuting recreational users and drgu dependent people instead of effectively eliminate drug dealers. It is difficult to resist the temptation to abuse laws that criminalize the possession of minor amounts of drugs. Poland’s drug law makes it easy, simple, almost effortless to obtain excellent statistical results. This applies to police, prosecutors and the judiciary. The report clearly shows that despite the announced changes, the courts still deal with the cases of possession of small amounts of marijuana.
People get labels of criminals, obtain criminal records, the prison become overcrowded.
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About the author:
Agnieszka Sieniawska, graduate of the Faculty of Law and Administration at the Warsaw University, lawyer in the program of the Ombudsman for Drug Dependent People. Conducts activities involving both legal counselling and advocacy for change in the drug law. The author of the report of the Ombudsman for Drug Dependent People in 2011. She participated in work on revising the drug laws, the amendment came into force in December 2011. Chairperson of the Polish Drug Policy Network, a citizens’ initiative established in
2008 by a group of experts in the sphere of drug addiction.