Publication - Research and analysis
International approaches to drug law reform: research
This paper reviews the international evidence on approaches to drug law reform, focussing on seven case studies from five jurisdictions.
7. Annex: table of reforms
| Jurisdiction | Year | Reform |
|---|---|---|
| Colorado | 2012 | Legalised possession and supply of cannabis |
| Washington | 2012 | Legalised possession and supply of cannabis |
| Oregon | 2014 | Legalised possession and supply of cannabis. Decriminalised possession of other drugs. |
| Alaska | 2014 | Legalised possession and supply of cannabis |
| California | 2018 | Legalised possession and supply of cannabis |
| Nevada | 2016 | Legalised possession and supply of cannabis |
| Massachusetts | 2016 | Legalised possession and supply of cannabis |
| Maine | 2016 | Legalised possession and supply of cannabis |
| Michigan | 2018 | Legalised possession and supply of cannabis |
| Illinois | 2019 | Legalised possession and supply of cannabis |
| Washington DC | 2015 | Legalised possession and supply of cannabis |
| Guam | 2019 | Legalised possession and supply of cannabis |
| 15 other US states | Decriminalised use/possession of cannabis | |
| Canada | 2018 | Legalised possession and supply of cannabis. Medically supervised heroin injecting. |
| Uruguay | 2013 | Legalised possession and supply of cannabis |
| Bolivia | 2009 | Legalised supply and posession of coca |
| Spain | 2001 | Legalised consumption, growing and cannabis social clubs, but commercial production and sale remain illegal. |
| Netherlands | 1974 | Retail but not wholesale cannabis sales 'de facto' allowed through outlets. Posession of small quantities of other drugs (eg half a gram of cocain) is generally unenforced. Medically supervised heroin injecting. |
| Chile | 2005 | All private drug use/possession is unpunished. Thresholds between trafficking and personal use determined by a judge. |
| Croatia | 2012 | All drug use/ possession decriminalised. Drug use itself is not regulated by the law, but administrative regulations apply for public usage. |
| Czech Republic | 2009 | All drug use/possession decriminalised, but financial fines can apply. |
| Mexico | 2009 | All drug use/possession decriminalised, however quantities are ambiguous. In 2018 the Supreme Court ruled a ban on the use of cannabis was unconstitutional. |
| Peru | 2003 | Possession of small quantities of cannabis, cocaine, opium and MDMA are not punishable. However, police practices may not always reflect this. |
| Portugal | 2001 | All drug use/ possession decriminalised |
| Costa Rica | Use/posession of cannabis de facto decriminalised | |
| Ecuador | Decriminalised use/possession of cannabis | |
| Estonia | Decriminalised use/possession of cannabis | |
| France | 2018 | Depenalised use/possession of cannabis to 200 euro fine |
| Georgia | 2018 | Legal possession and consumption, but not sale, of cannabis through a constitutional court decision |
| Germany | Authorities not required to prosecute possession of minor amounts | |
| India | Illegal but exceptions are made for selling and consuming bhang | |
| Jamaica | 2015 | Decriminalised use/possession of cannabis. Legalised use for religious purposes |
| Luxembourg | 2001 | Decriminalised use/possession of cannabis |
| Paraguay | 1988 | Decriminalised use/possession of cannabis |
| South Africa | 2018 | A constitutional court decision legalised cannabis consumption by adults in private places |
| Switzerland | 1990s | Decriminalised use/posession of cannabis. Medically supervised heroin injecting. |
| UK | Medically supervised heroin injecting. |
How to access background or source data
The data collected for this <social research publication>:
☐ are available in more detail through Scottish Neighbourhood Statistics
☐ are available via an alternative route <specify or delete this text>
☐ may be made available on request, subject to consideration of legal and ethical factors. Please contact <email address> for further information.
☒ cannot be made available by Scottish Government for further analysis as Scottish Government is not the data controller.
Contact
Email: socialresearch@gov.scot
There is a problem
Thanks for your feedback