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dizzariffic t1_j6o8348 wrote

Portugal also has mandatory treatment, however. Canada will not. There's little change in "help" for those that will use this system, Portugal has tons. So, im skeptical, but I suppose we'll see!

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godisanelectricolive t1_j6oip6v wrote

Their "dissuasion commissions" made up of lawyers and social workers do not have the power to mandate compulsory treatment. They either recommend treatment or community service for addicts and if they refuse the commission can issue a sanction such a fine or taking away personal possessions.

Authorities can't forcibly drag addicts into treatment but once they voluntarily consent to treatment they have conditions for release, you can't just check yourself out any time if you have a history of overdosing. Apparently 85% of their addicts voluntarily agree to treatment when asked to by a dissuasion commission.

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joxeloj t1_j6pcadn wrote

Compulsory treatment is objectively ineffective and only serves to further a moral crusade against drug use. The vast majority of the social, economic, and health consequences of which arise from its stigmatization and a lack of regulation.

Even voluntary, motivated treatment has much poorer effectiveness than the vast majority of people seem to believe. The most effective treatment for opioid addiction, the global gold standard, is literally giving the individual stable daily doses of opioids to take in place of street opioids. The most effective opioid replacement therapies in terms of quality of life, socioeconomic functioning, and health outcome/preventing deaths are literally the more recreational opiates; buprenorphine < methadone < oral morphine < injectable hydromorphone.

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