經濟學人雙語精讀TE-2023-05-10期（PDF版+Word版+音頻）

TE-2023-05-10期

5.10每日一篇|英語外刊社

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短語

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

詞典：prepare the ground 使……能夠容易發展

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

這個委員會將為下個月的會議做好準備。

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

詞典：die of 因……死，死于

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

她的父親和兄弟們會羞愧死的。

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

詞典：make sense 有意義；講得通；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，那好像講得通。但是數字對不上。

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

詞典：on a par with 與……同等；和……一樣

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

這個水上公園將與周圍那些最好的公共游泳場所一樣好。

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

詞典：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

詞典：far beyond 遠遠超出

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

成功之大遠遠超過他們的預期。

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

詞典：enter into force 生效；實行；加入行列

例句：The agreement shall enter into force upon signature.

協定簽字后立即生效。

8.原文：it has opted not to compel treatment

詞典：opt to do sth. 選擇做某事

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

如果這些銀行選擇不再支持那項倒霉的工程，它就將破產。

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

詞典：hit rock bottom 陷入低谷（俚語）；感到絕望（俚語）

例句：Prices hit rock bottom.

價格降到了最低點。

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

詞典：be worth doing sth. 值得做某事

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

這個觀點值得以后進一步探討。

②長難句

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：在這個句子當中，but連接兩個并列句。前面的句子中，This newspaper是句子的主語，has long championed是謂詞，賓語是more liberal laws。在后面的句子當中，reform-minded states是句子的主語，would do well to consider是謂詞，賓語是the experience of Oregon，before rushing ahead是時間狀語，the only American state so far to enact decriminalisation是前面Oregon的同位語，起到解釋說明的作用。

譯文：本報長期以來一直支持更自由的法律，但在進一步推進之前，美國內外有革新思想的各州最好考量一下俄勒岡州的經驗。俄勒岡州是美國迄今為止唯一一個頒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：句子的主語是The citations for possession，謂語部分是come，with a fine of up to $100是狀語，表示伴隨。而that和which分別引導限制性定語從句和非限制性定語從句，that是修飾主語The citations for possession，which引導的定從修飾fine 。

譯文：非法持有毒品的傳票取代了指控，罰款最高可達100美元，人們可通過撥打健康熱線免除罰款。

③寫作技巧

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

難怪越來越多的州有雅致嘗試一些不同的東西。

在英語當中表示“越來越多的”，除了最常見的more and more這個表達以外，其實還有替換表達，比如文中的a growing number of就是一個不錯的選擇。此外，an increasing number of，increasingly，an ever increasing number of等等也可以用來表示此意。

例句：

More and more people are surviving heart attacks.

越來越多的人在心臟病發作后存活下來。

We are experiencing an increasing number of problems.

我們正遇到越來越多的問題。

Jobs are becoming increasingly scarce.

工作職位變得越來越少。

④背景知識

美國俄勒岡州“110法案”生效后，其成美國首個將持有海洛因、冰毒、可卡因等“硬性毒品”合法化的州。根據“110法案”，如果民眾持有少于1克的海洛因或搖頭丸；少于2克的可卡因或冰毒；少于12克的裸蓋菇素；少于40劑的致幻劑、羥考酮等情況下，將不再視為犯罪，取而代之的是100美元的罰款或健康評估。此外，制毒、販毒，以及吸毒后駕駛等仍屬刑事犯罪。

據悉，俄勒岡州是美國放寬毒品管控的先驅。1973年，它是美國首個將持有大麻非刑罪化的州。2014年，俄勒岡州通過了一項措施，允許民眾娛樂性使用大麻。

⑤段落大意

【1】背景引入：美國毒品合法化的先驅——俄勒岡州

【2】舉措原因：實現毒品合法化會帶來一定益處

【3】利弊凸顯：好處的背后往往蘊含著危機

【4】美好愿景：傳票取代指控，主動取代被動

【5】現實真相：戒癮服務提供能力不足

【6】血的教訓：首先，不要著急

【7】血的教訓：其次，要適當采用壓力政策

【8】舉措示范：葡萄牙首創的戒癮措施，以及意大利的措施

【9】意義價值：只要星火在，燎原之勢必存在

PS:各位研友下載請文末點擊閱讀原文.

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