From Repression to Care for Drug Users: The Evolving Approach of Law Enforcement and Judicial Stakeholders in Senegal

This article examines the evolving perceptions of law enforcement personnel and legal professionals in Senegal regarding drug abuse and drug control strategies. Amid a context characterized by increased workloads due to drug offenses criminalized since 2007 and diversification and internationalization of drug trafficking, most stakeholders acknowledge the ineffectiveness of purely punishment-based responses, particularly for drug users suffering from addiction. Police and officials of the justice system have expressed their frustration over the persistent recidivism among injecting drug users despite repeated attempts at hospital-based detoxification in psychiatric facilities and recurrent incarceration. This article explores how various advocacy efforts, awareness campaigns, and training initiatives on addiction, Harm Reduction, and the positive impact of methadone access for injecting drug users (DUs) treated at CEPIAD have contributed to shifting perceptions of such users. The analysis highlights a transformation within institutional systems and drug control approaches, ranging from awareness-raising and punishment to the application of therapeutic injunctions as an alternative to the incarceration of drug users.