The Big Issue South Africa

Portugal’s innovative drug policy offers alternative to failed ‘war on drugs’

Posted on September 6, 2012 / Comments Off

Portugal’s radical policy of decriminalising all drugs to tackle escalating drug abuse was met with scepticism and derision by western nations who have long taken a hard line on drug abuse. A decade later, Portugal now has the upper hand after it’s policy has been proven to reduce drug addiction while the zero tolerance nations have begun to admit the “war on drugs” isn’t winning over the “enemy”. Mario Queiroz reviews Portugal’s successes.

Portugal was traditionally one of the European countries with the lowest levels of drug use. That is until the 1980s and 1990s, when drug abuse, especially of heroin, became a major problem.

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Tags: dealers, decriminalising, drugs, health, heroin, HIV/AIDS, Institute on Drugs and Drug Addiction, law, legalise, LSD, marijuana, nations, Open Society Institute Global Drug Policy, Portugal, possession, reinsertion, social, traffickers, war, western

Murder and threats can’t stop fight for gay rights in Uganda

Posted on July 20, 2012 / Comments Off

In Uganda, like in many sub-Saharan African countries, same-sex relationships are illegal and punishable by incarceration in prison for up to 14 years, legislation that is supported by a majority of Ugandans and influenced by the lobbying efforts of U.S. evangelical churches.

The law could soon become even more draconian under the Anti-Homosexuality Bill, also known as the “Kill the Gays” Bill, which was re-introduced in parliament in February of this year.

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Tags: Anti-Homosexuality, Barack Obama, Bill, bisexual, Britain, Call Me Kuchu, controversial, crimes, David Bahati, David Kato, Encounters Film Festival, evangelical churches, February, financial, flimmakers, gay, Giles Muhame, homophobia, homosexuality, illegal, incarceration, International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, Katherine Fairfax, Kill the Gays, law, lesbian, LGBT, Lou Engel, Malika Zouhalli-Worral, murdered, Nazism, parliament, President, prison, profound, punishable, Radcliffe, relationships, Rev. Rick Warren, Rolling Stone, same-sex, Scott Lively, sentenced, Street News Service, sub-Saharan Africa, Sweden, tabloids, The Pink Swastika, transgender, U.N Secretary-General Ban, U.S, Uganda, UN, undemocratic, United States, Victor Mukasa, violence

Philadelphia charities challenge ban on feeding homeless

Posted on July 18, 2012 / Comments Off

UNITED STATES: A new law in Philadelphia banning the feeding of homeless people on city parkland came under fire last week in court, where Mayor Michael Nutter defended it as part of a broader plan to care for the poor.

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Tags: 6000, attractions, banning, Barnes Foundation, Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Cezanne, challenged, charities, Church, city, Court, critics, demonstrates, feeding, homeless, hungry, Judge William Yohn Jr, law, lawsuit, Mayor, Michael Nutter, Museum of Art, parkland, people, Philadelphia, Project H.O.M.E, Renoir, Sister Mary Scullian, streetnewsservice, streets, tourist, United States, US District, Van Gogh

GMO food-labelling laws come unstuck due to lack of enforcement

Posted on May 15, 2012 / Comments Off

You could unwittingly be eating food containing genetically modified organisms (GMO) because government is not monitoring the implementation of its new food labelling regulations and failing to enforce penalties for those not complying. (read more…)

Tags: Food, food labelling, GMO, government, law