Prominent rehab organization says drug use should be decriminalized

Santo Domingo.- The head of the drug rehab organizationCasa Abierta (open house) Juan de la Rosa is partial to decriminalizing drug consumptionin the Dominican Republic, since in his view, addicts should be treated aspatients, not criminals.

"What we do when we criminalize users is that weturn them into criminals and we move them away from possible treatment, we do harmwhen we arrest them, because in prison they learn more forms of crime and then doesmore damage to them and to society."

He said the notion that decriminalizing drug use willincrease drug trafficking is false and cited countries such as Uruguay, UnitedStates, Mexico and Colombia, where the measure was adopted years ago, and hasn’toccurred.

Opposed

While the head of another rehab organization, LeopoldoDíaz, affirms that the law in effect should continue being enforced, because inhis view, they should be given theopportunity to serve out their sentences in rehabilitation facilities.