Legal measures to combat drug-related problems in Poland

The opium poppy, traditionally cultivated for its seeds and industrial purposes, has recently been increasingly used in so called "home technology" as a raw material for the illicit production of opiates. This development has been accompanied by an increasing number of drug abusers, mainly among young people. Law enforcement authorities in Poland recorded in 1979 approximately 8,000 persons abusing drugs and 13,000 in 1983. The number of drug offences known to the police increased from 1,313 in 1979 to 3,014 in 1983, often involving illegal manufacture of opiates. A study of 110 criminals sentenced for drug offences showed that they also abused drugs over periods of several months to several years. Penal sanctions relating to drug control are provided in different legal instruments. The sentencing policy has not substantially changed over the past several years. The sentence most frequently administered has been the conditional suspension of enforcement of punishment. Effective administration of the penalty of imprisonment for a drug offender engaged in illicit drug trafficking or other criminal acts presenting an exceptional public danger, even when the offender is a drug addict, is one of the basic principles of drug legislation. The law enables the court to commit a drug-addicted offender to an institution, for a period of six months to two years, for treatment of drug dependence before the sentence is carried out, and, in case of successful treatment, the court may reassess the case with a view to reducing or waiving the penalty. A new comprehensive drug law is currently being drafted.