Русско-англо-русский юридический словарь

The decriminalisation of drugs in Portugal has "halved" the problem of heroin abuse since the late 1990s, the country's national coordinator on drugs and drug addiction has said. In 2001, the socialist government changed the law to turn possession of drugs into an "administrative offence", sending those caught with drugs for personal use to a "dissuasion board" rather than face prosecution. (BBC News)

In the case of R v Khan (1996) 3 All ER 298, Khan was being investigated for drug smuggling and in order to obtain evidence the police attached a listening advice to his home. Although there was no statutory authorisation for use of such devices at the time the police obtained a tape showing Khan involved in the importation of heroin and they sought to use it in evidence against him at trial. (lawteacher.net)

The Reverend Darren Howie is a former thief and was addicted to heroin. He spent a decade in and out of prison - and was once told by a prison chaplain, when he weighed just six-and-a-half stone, that he would die once he left prison. (BBC News)