Campaign for decriminalisation in Lithuania: Interview with Laura Bliujiene

The Drugreporter video team helped Coalition I Can Live, a Lithuanian drug policy reform NGO to launch a media campaign for the decriminalisation of drug use. Watch the movie we produced about drug policies in Lithuania – and read this interview with Laura Bliujiene, a lawyer working for the NGO!

Drugreporter: A few weeks ago the Lithuanian parliament rejected a proposal to reform drug laws. Can you explain how the current drug laws sanction drug offenders and how this reform could change things?

Laura Bliujiene: Since January 2017, possession of any amount for personal use has been a criminal offence and a prison sentence is applied. The amendments to the criminal code that had been proposed would have removed criminal punishment for possession of small amounts for own use, and the sanctions would have been moved from the criminal code into the administrative code. This would not have addressed the diversion from punishment to comprehensive help for people who use drugs but would have been a big step towards a more balanced and evidence-based drug policy in Lithuania.

Have you seen any negative impact of the 2017 restrictions in terms of how many people are punished for drug offences and the severity of the punishments they receive?

During 2017 1033 pre-trial investigations were launched, 605 of which were completed by sending them to court. The courts decided on as many as 848 convictions. This is quite a large number of people who have received criminal punishment for possession of small amounts with no intent to sell. It is simply redundant criminalisation, which limits the possibilities of law enforcement to effectively use resources for the clarification of more serious crimes.

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