Sixteenth issue of Drugs – Policies and Practices
Issue topic: Drugs in Macedonia
Editors’ Letter
I would like to see more success, i.e. end criminalization of drug users, decriminalize cannabis, mushrooms, ayahuasca, etc. so that people who use drugs can be treated as other citizens with health problems, be competitive on the labour market, etc.
Drug addiction and domestic violence: how to end the cycle?
Domestic violence and drug dependence pose a challenge to public health throughout the world and are too often directly linked. Cases of domestic violence are fairly more complex when one or both partners (or other family members) are facing drug use addiction. Such a realization offers an opportunity to understand why the care for the victims and perpetrators as well, for their health and the prevention of future violence, is so important. Author: Rosana Bogatinova
Of course, legalization is the obvious choice, but according to which model? Should the model be investment only in the business sector – i.e. export, disregarding the needs of the users? Social clubs might be a solution, and yet, how would they be structured? All these questions require the cooperation of civil society organizations and the activists, which at present is lacking. Author: Janaki Mitrovski
The discussion about the drug issue in Macedonia began in the early 1990s with the country’s independence. The transition period was one of the worst ones for the fight against addiction and drug abuse. Author: Jasmina Pijanmanova
Drug addicts have always been marginalized by society and the entire community. Always on the bottom rung and perceived mostly as dangerous criminals and filth rather than as people in need of assistance and reassurance. Instead of punishment they require support and help in recovering from the harmful effects of drug use. Author: Ivana Baltovska
I don’t smoke weed because I’m afraid of the Inquisition
Here weed is a crime offence because public prosecutors and legal advisers earn a good living from the misfortune of other. The unethical behaviour of these ignominious legal advisers has led to distrust in the police, which in this story shares the least responsibility for the growing crime rates in our country. Author: Pexim SLani
The people of the 21st century have the right, and the obligation, to create laws according to the reality they live in. Cannabis use regulation, its legalization, or to start with its decriminalization, could bring serious benefits for Macedonia, from medical to financial ones. Author: Ognen Uzunovski
Drugs, melancholy and Nirvana’s music
Nirvana was a grunge band from the 1990s that left an impression on our teenage years, with many of us identifying with Kurt Cobain and his rebellious spirit discerned not only in his behaviour but also the lyrics he wrote as the main songwriter and composer, i.e. the frontman of the band. Author: Elena Daskalova