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Mexico has a history of failed drug policies, and have now  introduced drug policies based on science, compassion, health, and human rights with the primary aim to reduce death and disease, improve public safety particularly that of children and young people and to reduce crime. Mexico has had one of the worst drug wars in the history of narcotic production and distribution. There has been arguments towards legalisation to reduce cartel violence. The country has decriminalised small quantities of a number of substances. Although the drugs are still illegal, it allows the authorities to send the individual to rehab rather than to prison

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Portugal decriminalised all drugs in 2001.  The currently hand out fines for possession and mandatory referral for treatment. It was thought there would be a rise in use from being decriminalised but this has not been the case. Drugs are still illegal. Portugal as a result of this has the lowest rates of usage and death in the EU.

The prevailing approach to treatment is via the medical approach and outcomes are that it is lowering rates of drug use.

BOLIVIA

Has really strict drug laws. Drugs found for personal usage means that the person must attend rehabilitation however there is no fixed amount so it is at the discretion of the police to decide what is deemed as personal usage. Following this all other amounts and involvement in drug culture/ gangs/ growth etc is considered at the same severity and so all people are treated the same and could face 1-25 years imprisonment.

The prevailing approach seems to be the criminal one however individual help for addicts is available. The outcomes from this policy cant be viewed but their government says that there is generally a decrease in usage and a rise in seizures which doesn't make sense.

There is also a discussion about what is considered a drug (plant or actual drugs) which is not included.

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Columbia -During the 20th century, drug policies in Colombia were increasingly repressive, largely ineffective, and heavily influenced by the international legal framework that was put in place. In effect, in just a few years Colombia went from having a scattered set of regulations, with an emphasis on prevention and medical-administrative treatment, to having legislation abundant in definitions of criminal conduct and sanctions that included the full drug cycle, from production through marketing and trafficking to consumption.

1. harm reduction

In the early 1990s, drug production in Colombia diversified to include heroin as well as cocaine, and since then the country's role in the heroin trade has substantially increased

drug injection in Colombia remains a largely understudied practice.

"Colombia has an opportunity to prevent an HIV epidemic by implementing harm reduction interventions among PWID,""Colombia has an opportunity to prevent an HIV epidemic by implementing harm reduction interventions among PWID,"

b) Prohibition - , the GOC approved a law that prohibited the possession and consumption of small, "personal," amounts of illegal drugs.

c) Legalisation -ident Juan Manuel Santos spearheaded an overhaul of Colombia’s 30-year-old drug laws, which formally legalisd medical marijuana for domestic use. Crucially, the new law also allowed the commercial cultivation, processing and export of medical marijuana products — like oils and creams — although not the flower, the part of the plant normally rolled into a joint.

d)Decriminalisation

in August 2011, the Colombian Supreme Court overturned Legislative Act No. 2, 2009, which banned the personal use of drugs,

"implies the nullification of fundamental rights, and it represses and sanctions with the severest punishments (imprisonment) the personal decision to abandon one ‘s personal health, a choice that corresponds to their own decision and does not infringe on the rights of other members of society."

The Supreme Court then set the "personal amount" of drugs at 20 grams of marijuana and 1 gram of cocaine."

3. treatment

In a move to provide integral treatment for addicts and reduce crime levels in Bogotá, Mayor Gustavo Petro launched in September 2012 a pilot project, Centre for Medical Attention for Drug Addicts (Centro de Atención Médica a Drogadictos—CAMAD), that involves mobile units stationed in marginal areas of the city so doctors and social workers can provide attention to addicts. The program adheres to the view that the drug problem is a public health issue.

4.What are the outcomes from this policy approach

In practice, however, the Citizen Security Law has led to considerable confusion and uncertainty regarding the issue of the minimum dose. Even though both the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court have made it clear that possession of the minimum dose is not a criminal offence, and despite the fact that the 2009 reform only mentions administrative sanctions, police officers on the street may apply repressive measures if they decide to take action against someone found in possession of a minimum amount, especially if that person belongs to a disadvantaged sector of society.

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Australia

Drug policy

The following drugs are some of the drugs that are illegal in Australia. Federal and state laws provide penalties for possessing, using, making or selling them, or driving under their influence.

Cannabis, including some synthetic cannabinoids

Cocaine

Ecstasy (MDMA)

GHB (gamma hydroxybutyrate)

HeroinIce (crystal methamphetamine)

LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide)

PCP (phencyclidine)

PMA (paramethoxyamphetamine) and PMMA (paramethoxymethamphetamine).

a) harm reduction -Harm reduction has been a principle of Australian governments’ approach to drug use for several decades, beginning in the 1980s when the first needle syringe program was first introduced. Some economists argue that harm reduction programs, such as needle and syringe programs, have seen the most cost effective use of government money in Australia’s history

b) Prohibition -  laws that prevent the sale and possession of bongs and other smoking equipment in some states and territories. (For example, Victoria has passed that will ban the sale of cannabis water pipes (bongs) from January 2012.)

c)Legalisation – medicinal cannabis is legal as of November 2016

d) Decriminalisation

Australia currently has a mixture of de jure and de facto decriminalisation schemes for use and possession of illicit drugs: but decriminalisation is not universal. Accordingly, many people continue to be sent to court for possession of only minor quantities of drugs.  (A distinction is usually made between de jure decriminalization, which entails an amendment to criminal legislation, and de facto decriminalization, which involves an administrative decision not to prosecute acts that nonetheless remain against the law)

3. approach to treatment

opioid use -  Medication assisted treatment of opioid dependence (MATOD) is a combination of medication (methadone or buprenorphine for substitution treatment, or naltrexone for relapse prevention treatment) and psychosocial support.

4. the outcomes from this policy approach

·         Australian Crime Commission Illicit Drug Data Report 2012-13 released. ·         The report highlighted a number of records in 2012-13 including that the number of national illicit drug arrests and seizures had increased to the highest on record and the weight of seizures to the second highest.·         Of particular note were further increases in the number and weight of ATS (Amphetamine-type stimulants) (excluding MDMA).·         The Australian Crime Commission warned that crystal methamphetamine was emerging in Australia as a ‘pandemic’.

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Policies differ between 'soft' and 'hard' drugs, and as the Netherlands is renowned for its liberal approach towards certain drugs, many other countries use it as an example to base their policies on. The drug policy in the Netherlands aims: to reduce the demand for drugs, the supply of drugs and the risks to drug users, their immediate surroundings and society.
It is permitted for individuals to purchase 5 grams of cannabis from licensed premises. However, if an individual is in possession of any more than the 5 grams, the police will confiscate and issue a fine, as although they have a tolerant attitude to soft drugs and acknowledge that they will never stop people from using drugs, it remains an illegal activity. The police however, prioritise illegal dealers and traffickers.  In 2005, the government attempted to introduce a 'membership card' to Dutch nationals to prevent drug tourism. Although a number of provinces signed up to this scheme, the government received fierce opposition from the Mayor of Amsterdam. It was then agreed that the decision would be made by the individual provinces. Interestingly, the provinces that signed up to the scheme, reported an increase in crime and street dealing.
The Netherlands considers drug use primarily as a public health issue, although policy responsibility is shared between the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, and the Ministry of Justice.
The laws have been tightened over the sales of 'legal highs' to reduce harm to the public. Although they are legal to buy, the substance must be taken on the premises of purchase. Although the staff are not medically trained, this has been proven to minimise the risk of any adverse affects of taking the drug.