Recognising Psychoactive Drug Users

There has been growing discussion in Denmark regarding the decriminalisation of psychoactive drug use. In this context, we propose Axel Honneth’s theory of recognition as a useful approach to both understand the causes of dependency on psychoactive drugs and to provide an ethical lens through which to discuss whether drug use should be decriminalised or not. We propose that psychoactive drugs create dependencies for persons who lack the necessary spheres of recognition, of which Honneth delineates three. The first is love, which is found among primary caregivers, close friends, and intimate partners. The second is the sphere of rights and derives from the possibility to act as respected persons in society, and which comes from equitable laws. The third is the sphere of solidarity, which is related to the normative nature of the community; mutual recognition, which occurs in this sphere, provides the grounds for gaining self-esteem. We propose that a lack of recognition in the love sphere has a causal influence in making persons become dependent and that a lack of recognition at more systemic levels, such as criminalisation and a generally negative view of drug users in society, further contributes to this dependency. Based on responses from the interviews carried out in Denmark and Portugal, we propose that the Decriminalisation Act, which has been introduced in Portugal, would likely decrease the use of psychoactive drugs in Denmark and greatly benefit the lives of those who are dependent on them