Anti-drug policy should be health-focused — UP
A UNIVERSITY of the Philippines (UP) Diliman-College of Law study has recommended a public health approach to tackle the country’s illegal drug problem, instead of a punitive approach.
“The approach to drug use should be based on public health rather than punitive measures,” UP College of Law Professor Glenda T. Litong told a drug policy summit on Wednesday.
“The public health approach advocates evidence-informed, human rights-oriented and person-centered strategies,” she added.
Health workers should be the first point of contact for drug users and not law enforcers, according to the UP study.
Masood Karimipour, regional director of the United Nations (UN) Office on Drugs and Crime, told the summit the Philippines has made progress in the past two years in having a public health and human rights-based response to the illegal drug problem.
“Criminalization has neither diminished drug use nor deterred drug-related crimes,” UN Philippines Resident Coordinator Gustavo Gonzalez told the summit. “Instead, more and more lives are ruined, not just by the use of drugs in itself, but also by the fallout of counter-productive policies.”
Rehabilitation programs should be holistic, flexible, community-based and should have sufficient funding, according to the UP study. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana