N. Nedopil, THE FORENSIC ASSESSMENT OF DRUG POSSESSIO N AND TRAFFICKING BY ADDICTS - INDIVIDUAL APPROACH OR LEGAL SCHEMATISM, Nervenheilkunde, 13(7), 1994, pp. 318-322
A considerable ambiguity can be observed, when courts have to deal wit
h the assessment of drug addicts: on one hand the federal high courts
(BHG) elaborated in a quite sophisticated manner on the issue, and psy
chiatric practice has developed sound and efficient methods to assess
the disturbances of drug addicts; on the other hand a quite simple sch
ematism of evaluation is applied by many courts and expert witnesses.
The article reviews the current jurisdiction and describes a method fo
r a differentiated assessment of the psychopathological impairment of
drug addicts. This knowledge should enable the psychiatrist in court t
o utilise the scope provided by law.