○Drug users and harm reduction

     In Prout Village, where there is no currency in circulation, there are no individuals selling drugs for profit. However, there is still a possibility of individuals falling into drug dependency due to initial interest or other reasons associated with substances like marijuana, cocaine, heroin, or methamphetamine.

    In Japan, drug use is heavily regulated by law, and users are treated as criminals. The aim is to deter usage by imposing penalties, yet the number of users of marijuana and methamphetamine is increasing. According to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, 67.7% of methamphetamine users resume use after arrest. Drug users, treated as criminals after arrest, might face social isolation, hesitate to seek help due to a sense of shame, and fall into a vicious cycle of addiction leading to reusing substances.

    Countries like Canada, Switzerland, Portugal, and over 80 others have implemented harm reduction strategies, focusing not on using punishment to stop drug use but on reducing the harm to health in collaboration with users.

    For instance, in Canada, there are designated spaces where drug users can consume substances safely, provided with harm reduction supplies. These rooms contain tools for safe drug use, including tourniquets, distilled water, equipment for heating drugs, sterilized syringes, among other clean, disinfected items. Users bring in their own substances to use in these spaces, where the police cannot make arrests. These locations facilitate connections between users and support staff, offering ongoing assistance and addressing concerns. Providing clean tools helps prevent drug users from reusing syringes, thereby reducing the spread of infections like AIDS.

    In Canada, there has been a 35% decrease in fatalities due to drug overdose over two years, and there has been an increase of over 30% in individuals seeking drug cessation treatment in one year, showcasing positive outcomes.

    In Switzerland, NGOs under medical supervision prescribe heroin publicly to heroin addicts. In Portugal, NGOs commissioned by the government distribute methadone, a painkiller with effects similar to heroin, to heroin addicts on the streets. Instead of abruptly stopping usage, these programs involve accompanying users, maintaining connections, gradually reducing their usage, and guiding them toward recovery.

    In Prout Village, drug use is approached not as a crime but as a health issue. Without a monetary society, the circulation of drugs drastically decreases, and users are encouraged towards recovery through harm reduction strategies.