Some thoughts about the voluntary admission to treatment as an alternative for punishment for drug using individuals from a medical point of view

Abstract

The article reviews the negative effects of different attitudes of the enforcing authorities and the healthcare providers in the therapy of a special segment of treatment instead of punishment process (diversion) -including a detailed presentation of two cases. This segment is the so-called voluntary diversion. Diversion is a legal concept, but its implementation is often the task of health care providers, therefore it is important to consider their aspects, too. From medical point of view the voluntary diversion suffers, among others, from the lack of distinction of clients with different addictive backgrounds, of clear protocol- based definition of treatment, and especially of the low motivation of clients. Therefore, it is not negligible to know how professional the official procedure is and what reactions it actuates in the client, either increasing or diminishing the motivation. In this respect, the work of authorities is quite unbalanced. Therefore, the article raises the need of a well-documented official decision to startvoluntary diversion.