{"id":2919,"date":"2023-06-30T02:45:41","date_gmt":"2023-06-30T02:45:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metzineres.org\/apoye-no-castigue-diversas-y-unidas-para-acabar-con-el-prohibicionismo\/"},"modified":"2025-04-07T14:17:34","modified_gmt":"2025-04-07T14:17:34","slug":"support-dont-punish-diverse-and-united-in-the-fight-to-end-prohibitionism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/metzineres.org\/en\/support-dont-punish-diverse-and-united-in-the-fight-to-end-prohibitionism\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Support. Don’t Punish’: Diverse and United in the Fight to End Prohibitionism"},"content":{"rendered":"

For many people, last Monday was not any old Monday. For the 10th consecutive year, June 26th was recognized in calendars around the world as the International ‘Support. Don\u2019t Punish’ Day. This year, it was celebrated in\u00a091 countries and 275 cities.<\/a><\/h4>\n

But\u2026what exactly is ‘Support. Don\u2019t Punish’ all about? A\u00a0global advocacy campaign<\/strong>, it calls for drug\u00a0policies based on health, well-being, and human rights<\/strong>, as well as the\u00a0abolition of prohibitionist drug laws<\/strong>\u00a0which lead to stigma and criminalization of people who use drugs.<\/p>\n

Who wants to be a\u00a0millionaire\u00a0anti-prohibitionist?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Despite the intense heat, dozens of people gathered at the\u00a0Rambla del Raval\u00a0<\/strong>at noon to celebrate this special day together. With a presence and energy, for another year anti-prohibitionist organizations and activists from around Catalu\u00f1a showcased the\u00a0commitment<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0unity<\/strong>\u00a0of this community network via\u00a0CATNPUD<\/a>\u00a0(the Catalan Network of People Who Use Drugs).<\/p>\n

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Starting the competition! – Photo: Andre Gaetano.<\/span><\/div>\n

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The day kicked off under the tent, with the\u00a0reading of the manifesto<\/strong>\u00a0that outlined some of the principal objectives of Catalu\u00f1a\u2019s 2023 campaign. They included, for one, defending the sustainability of the\u00a0Servicio de Adicciones y Salud Mental del Hospital Sant Joan de Reus\u00a0<\/strong>(the Addiction and Mental Health Services at the Hospital Sant Joan de Reus)\u2013 created using a holistic risk and harm reduction framework\u2014 as well as\u00a0recognizing the work of Dr Tre Borr\u00e0s<\/strong>\u2013recently let go from her position as director there.<\/p>\n

Additionally, the manifesto highlighted the\u00a0cannabis user and grower associations<\/strong>\u00a0(CSC), a Catalan model replicated internationally that responds to risks associated with using cannabis from the illegal market.\u00a0Its future is currently at risk due to the changing political climate\u00a0<\/strong>in the whole territory.<\/p>\n

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However, as we always say, “there is no revolution without feathers and glitter”. For this reason, the day\u2019s calls to action were accompanied by an\u00a0atmosphere of partying and celebration<\/strong>\u00a0in the public space\u2013 a space that also belongs to us and where we once again wanted to make ourselves visible. In the same way, in the\u00a0‘Anti-Prohibitionist Olympics’<\/strong>,\u00a0participants worked in teams to compete in three events (‘Who wants to be\u00a0a millionaire\u00a0anti-prohibitionist?’, ‘Lysergic Painting’ and ‘Outlandish Improvisations’), demonstrating their knowledge and skills of themes related to the campaign and the world of substances: it was a game show-worthy scene.<\/p>\n

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The Voice of People Who Use Drugs<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Throughout the whole day, neighbors from el Raval came to join us, along with other passersby, who were curious and asked what was happening in this space where there was a stage, music, signs and, above all, laughter. Also present were representatives and participants from the organizing groups:\u00a0CATNPUD, Metzineres, ARSU, XADUD, Asaupam, CatFAC, ConFAC, Episteme Social, REMA, ICEERS, AUPA\u2019M, Dona Arsu Tot and Fundaci\u00f3 \u00c0mbit Prevenci\u00f3<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

All these organizations, furthermore, are signers of the manifesto where we denounce “the\u00a0current macropolitics of health<\/strong>\u00a0which are putting at risk the sustainability of the networks and structures that permit this kind of community refuge. As well as the risks inherent in the\u00a0sanitary and client models<\/strong>\u00a0that seek to make public health ‘efficient’ in Catalu\u00f1a”.<\/p>\n

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Alongside a delicious meal, Metzineres\u2019 director\u00a0Aura Roig<\/strong>\u00a0and lawyer\u00a0Marta Valldaura<\/strong>\u00a0presented the\u00a0‘Guia pr\u00e0ctica per fer front a la criminalitzaci\u00f3 policial i judicial’<\/strong>. Its impetus, they explained, came from concerns and questions voiced by Metzineres\u2019 participants. The guide aims to provide information on the protected rights of people in situations of vulnerability and violence. It also offers practical tools to more easily navigate certain interactions with the police and judicial system.<\/p>\n

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Of course, the\u00a0radio<\/strong>\u00a0was there. On this occasion, we listened to a\u00a0live episode of ‘El lado oscuro del Raval’<\/strong>\u00a0(The Dark Side of el Raval) by members of\u00a0Fundaci\u00f3n \u00c0mbit Prevenci\u00f3<\/strong>. The episode brought together various testimonies from people who use drugs, who came to the table to talk and share experiences that they go through in their daily lives.<\/p>\n

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Nevertheless, one of the most anticipated moments of the day was yet to come. Following\u00a0Vidda Priego\u2019s\u00a0<\/strong>marvelous\u00a0autobiographical monologue<\/strong>\u00a0that scandalized more than one about her reality as a trans bisexual person,\u00a0DJ MariKarmen Free<\/strong>\u00a0turned our spot on the Rambla del Raval into a\u00a0small oasis<\/strong>, where we danced, sang, and jumped and where\u00a0diversity and intersectionality were the protagonists<\/strong>. It was the grand finale to an unforgettable day of revelry, action, and sisterhood.<\/p>\n

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An International Success Story, in Danger<\/h3>\n

The very next day on\u00a0June 27th<\/strong>, the\u00a0Hospital Sant Joan de Reus<\/strong>\u00a0hosted a photography exhibit called \u2018Amb Cara de Dona\u2019: a journey through the stories of the members of Dona Arsu Tot \u2013an entity belonging to ARSU (Asociaci\u00f3n A Reus Som \u00datiles<\/strong>). The organization was created in\u00a01999<\/strong>\u00a0with the aim of accompanying people using drugs affected by a lack of social support as well as other negative consequences derived from prohibitionist politics.<\/p>\n

This time, the manifesto was read at the hospital\u2019s front entrance. Canal Reus TV was present, as well as other groups and activists who came in support of Dr. Tre Borr\u00e0s and to\u00a0denounce the injustice<\/strong>\u00a0being faced by the hospital\u2019s Servicio de Adicciones y Salud Mental.<\/p>\n