premise: Throughout Europe, the three most prevalent ways of punishing an individual for a drug possession offence are warning, fine and suspended prison sentence; with the exception of a few countries, community work orders are rarely used. Those convicted of supply offences are more likely to receive a prison sentence. Notwithstanding, certain offenders receive long sentences and these are often brought up in public debate. Considerable differences between countries exist regarding where to draw the line between users as individuals needing treatment, and traffickers needing criminal punishment as deterrence. Each countrys criminal justice system recognises some people as sick, and thus tries to divert them to treatment, while punishing others.
hypothesis: A person caught possessing drugs could face a warning, a fine, or a suspended prison sentence depending on the country where the arrest takes place.