经济学人双语精读TE-2023-05-10期（PDF版+Word版+音频）

TE-2023-05-10期

5.10每日一篇|英语外刊社

Decriminalising drugs：Lessons from Oregon
Statescontemplatingdrug decriminalisation need to prepare the groundproperly
【1】America’s war on drugs has been a disaster. More than a million Americans have died ofoverdosessince the government started counting in1999. No wonder a growing number of states are interested in trying something different. Nine of them arecontemplatingdecriminalising thepossessionof a small amount of drugs. This newspaper has longchampionedmoreliberallaws, but beforerushingahead, reform-mindedstates—in America and beyond—would do well to consider the experience of Oregon, the only American state so far toenactdecriminalisation. It has had arockystart.
【2】Removing criminalpenaltiesfor possessing some drugs makes sense. It can reduceprisonnumbers and theperilsofaddiction. Portugal decriminalised thepossessionof drugs for personal use in2001. Insubsequentyears overdose deaths and HIV rates fell, and public drug markets disappeared.
【3】Oregon had hoped for a similar success. In aballotin2020,58% of voters backed decriminalisation. As a result, having a small amount offentanyl,methamphetamine,heroinor LSD nowwarrantsapunishmenton a par with a speeding ticket. In the two years since the new law took effect, drugarrestsare indeed down. However, overdose deaths in Oregon have risensharply, far beyond the increase recordednationally.
【4】Under the oldscheme,possessioncharges were a tool to get people into treatment, because punishments could be dropped ifoffendersagreed to seek help. However, the thinking in Oregon was that treatment waslikelierto work better when it wasvoluntary. Thecitationsforpossessionthat havereplacedcharges come with a fine of up to $100, which can bewaivedwith a call to a healthhotline. The hope was thatoffenderscould then be steered intorehab. But less than5% of police actions have actually resulted in that phone call.
【5】Worse, even if people do choseaddictiontreatment, they may not be able to receive it. Recent analysis found that Oregon state has just half theaddictionservices it needs. The sameballotmeasure that decriminalisedpossessionalso increased funding for some recovery services, but the money started to flow long after the reform entered into force. Even now, the extra funding will not close theyawninggapin services.
【6】Oregon’sexperimentmay yet prove a success, but its lessons are clear. First do not rush. The Australian Capital Territory is also in the midst of decriminalising thepossessionof drugs but,wisely, it is taking a year to prepare and train front-line responders. It is especially important to ensure that treatment is available before moving ahead. The “Field of Dreams” approach to drawingaddictsinto treatment will not work if you do not actually provide enough places in clinics. And building them is not cheap.
【7】Second,pressureis a necessary part of the policy mix. Manyaddictswould choose never to walk into a treatment centre. British Columbia, in Canada, is undergoing its own decriminalisationtrialand, like Oregon, it has opted not tocompeltreatment. Yet, withaccidentalfentanyloverdosesso common, waiting foraddictsto hit rock bottom can all too easily provelethal.
【8】It is better to adopt the sort of approachpioneeredin Portugal, where people found with drugs have to appear beforedissuasioncommissions and are shepherded into treatment. The process islaborious, and that alone candiscouragecasualdrug-taking. Italy, which has also decriminalised drugpossession, cansuspendthe drivinglicencesof frequentoffenders.
【9】Drugepidemicshave no quickfixes. But the scale of the crisis facing America today is so great that even small improvements are worth striving for. Done correctly, decriminalisation could help people go clean bysparingthem themillstoneof a criminal record andpreventmany deaths fromoverdoses. That is why it is important toheedthe lessons from Oregon.

①短语

1.原文：States contemplating drug decriminalisation need to prepare the ground properly

词典：prepare the ground 使……能够容易发展

例句：The committee will prepare the ground for next month's meeting.

这个委员会将为下个月的会议做好准备。

2.原文：More than a million Americans have died of overdoses

词典：die of 因……死，死于

例句：Her father and her brothers would die of shame.

她的父亲和兄弟们会羞愧死的。

3.原文：Removing criminal penalties for possessing some drugs makes sense.

词典：make sense 有意义；讲得通；言之有理

例句：On the face of it that seems to make sense. But the figures don't add up.

乍一看，那好像讲得通。但是数字对不上。

4.原文：now warrants a punishment on a par with a speeding ticket

词典：on a par with 与……同等；和……一样

例句：The water park will be on a par with some of the best public swim facilities around.

这个水上公园将与周围那些最好的公共游泳场所一样好。

5.原文：In the two years since the new law took effect

词典：take effect 生效；起作用

例句：The traffic laws don't take effect until the end of the year.

交通法要到年底才生效。

6.原文：far beyond the increase recorded nationally

词典：far beyond 远远超出

例句：It had been a success far beyond their expectations.

成功之大远远超过他们的预期。

7.原文：but the money started to flow long after the reform entered into force.

词典：enter into force 生效；实行；加入行列

例句：The agreement shall enter into force upon signature.

协定签字后立即生效。

8.原文：it has opted not to compel treatment

词典：opt to do sth. 选择做某事

例句：If the banks opt to pull the rug from under the ill-fated project, it will go into liquidation.

如果这些银行选择不再支持那项倒霉的工程，它就将破产。

9.原文：waiting for addicts to hit rock bottom can all too easily prove lethal.

词典：hit rock bottom 陷入低谷（俚语）；感到绝望（俚语）

例句：Prices hit rock bottom.

价格降到了最低点。

10.原文：even small improvements are worth striving for.

词典：be worth doing sth. 值得做某事

例句：It's an idea that may be worth revisiting at a later date.

这个观点值得以后进一步探讨。

②长难句

原文：This newspaperhas long championedmore liberal laws, butbefore rushing ahead, reform-minded states—in America and beyond—would do well to considerthe experience of Oregon, the only American state so far to enact decriminalisation.

分析：在这个句子当中，but连接两个并列句。前面的句子中，This newspaper是句子的主语，has long championed是谓词，宾语是more liberal laws。在后面的句子当中，reform-minded states是句子的主语，would do well to consider是谓词，宾语是the experience of Oregon，before rushing ahead是时间状语，the only American state so far to enact decriminalisation是前面Oregon的同位语，起到解释说明的作用。

译文：本报长期以来一直支持更自由的法律，但在进一步推进之前，美国内外有革新思想的各州最好考量一下俄勒冈州的经验。俄勒冈州是美国迄今为止唯一一个颁布非犯罪化法律的州。

原文：The citations for possessionthathave replaced charges comewith a fine of up to $100, whichcan be waived with a call to a health hotline.

分析：句子的主语是The citations for possession，谓语部分是come，with a fine of up to $100是状语，表示伴随。而that和which分别引导限制性定语从句和非限制性定语从句，that是修饰主语The citations for possession，which引导的定从修饰fine 。

译文：非法持有毒品的传票取代了指控，罚款最高可达100美元，人们可通过拨打健康热线免除罚款。

③写作技巧

No wonder a growing number ofstates are interested in trying something different.

难怪越来越多的州有雅致尝试一些不同的东西。

在英语当中表示“越来越多的”，除了最常见的more and more这个表达以外，其实还有替换表达，比如文中的a growing number of就是一个不错的选择。此外，an increasing number of，increasingly，an ever increasing number of等等也可以用来表示此意。

例句：

More and more people are surviving heart attacks.

越来越多的人在心脏病发作后存活下来。

We are experiencing an increasing number of problems.

我们正遇到越来越多的问题。

Jobs are becoming increasingly scarce.

工作职位变得越来越少。

④背景知识

美国俄勒冈州“110法案”生效后，其成美国首个将持有海洛因、冰毒、可卡因等“硬性毒品”合法化的州。根据“110法案”，如果民众持有少于1克的海洛因或摇头丸；少于2克的可卡因或冰毒；少于12克的裸盖菇素；少于40剂的致幻剂、羟考酮等情况下，将不再视为犯罪，取而代之的是100美元的罚款或健康评估。此外，制毒、贩毒，以及吸毒后驾驶等仍属刑事犯罪。

据悉，俄勒冈州是美国放宽毒品管控的先驱。1973年，它是美国首个将持有大麻非刑罪化的州。2014年，俄勒冈州通过了一项措施，允许民众娱乐性使用大麻。

⑤段落大意

【1】背景引入：美国毒品合法化的先驱——俄勒冈州

【2】举措原因：实现毒品合法化会带来一定益处

【3】利弊凸显：好处的背后往往蕴含着危机

【4】美好愿景：传票取代指控，主动取代被动

【5】现实真相：戒瘾服务提供能力不足

【6】血的教训：首先，不要着急

【7】血的教训：其次，要适当采用压力政策

【8】举措示范：葡萄牙首创的戒瘾措施，以及意大利的措施

【9】意义价值：只要星火在，燎原之势必存在

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