An Estimation of the Costs and Time Connected with Implementing the Drug Use Prevention Act

The objective of this research project is to evaluate the results of the provisions of the amendment of 26 October 2000 of the Drug Use Prevention Act of 29 July 2005, based on the act of 24 April 1997.

The purpose of the legal acts on Drug Use Prevention (Drug Use Prevention Act of 29 July 2005, based on the act of 24 April 1997 with amendments of 26 October 2000) was to restrict the use of drugs and to reduce the scale of drug abuse. Since 2000 the possession of even minimal quantities of drugs is a punishable offence. The result of it was “...a drastic rise after the year 2000 in reports of drug possession (article 48 of the 1997 act; article 62 of the 2005 act) with the intention to distribute it (articles 45 and 46 of the 1997 act; articles 58 and 59 of the 2005 act)”  .

The source report as well as research conducted in other countries  indicates that such legal actions have hardly any impact on drug demand or the restriction of the drug supply, as only consumers of small amounts of drugs are being caught. On the other hand, the enforcement of the abovementioned Act incurs costs on the state budget related to the work of the police, judiciary and penal institutions. Therefore, the question is whether the amount of public expenses connected with the implementation of the Act in question is proportional to the positive impacts of its provisions (resulting in decreasing drug dissemination among young people). In order to answer this question, it is necessary to estimate the level of these expenses. Apart from the financial aspect of the enforcement of the Drug Use Prevention Act it is also worthwhile to estimate the amount of time devoted by the justice administration system to the cases related with it.

In 2009 the Institute of Public Affairs conducted quanitative research on a representative sample of police officers, persecutors, judges and probation officers. It was complemented by an analysis of existing data from the system of prison organisation, the police and the Ministry of Justice as well as by qualitative reserach - interviews with representatives of institutions involved in implementing the legal act in question.

A summary of IPA's research results and a policy brief published in the series 'Analyses and Opinions" can be downloaded for free.



Summary of IPA's report on costs of Drug Use Prevention Act
Policy Brief "Analyses and Opinions"


This project is sponsored by the
Global Drug Policy Program, Open Society Institute