Decriminalisation and smart regulation of psychoactive substances: a modern alternative to prohibition.

Abstract

Prohibition has been the globally dominant concept for the regulation and control of psychoactive substances for nearly 70 years. Its effectiveness and legitimacy as a sustainable solution to the problems associated with the existence of psychoactive substances in society has been repeatedly questioned. It is based on the normative assumption that the use of psychoactive substances for other than therapeutic purposes is not allowed, and non-medical supply should be severely punished. This precludes the use of the full range of regulatory, public health, prevention, and harm reduction strategies, reduces well-being, and increases harms for the human-rights, health, and social cohesion. It is time to replace the prohibitionist paradigm with modern regulation that considers the different harms and risks of psychoactive substances, but also the benefits of psychoactive substances for mental health and well-being, lifestyle, and socialisation. This new paradigm (the so-called 'smart regulation') should accept non-medical use of psychoactive substances, apply criminal law as an exceptional tool to regulate human behaviour, regulate the availability of substances according to their harmfulness, regulate the risk profile of the product, strictly regulate marketing and advertising, protect minors and 'others' from the use and supply of psychoactive substances, protect the legal market from the supply of substances from the illegal market, and use economic instruments to regulate demand and to subsidise prevention and treatment.