THE FORENSIC ASSESSMENT OF DRUG POSSESSIO N AND TRAFFICKING BY ADDICTS - INDIVIDUAL APPROACH OR LEGAL SCHEMATISM

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.