In July of 2001, Portugal officially decriminalized all drugs.
The punishment for being caught with anything from heroin to methamphetamines to marijuana
became mandatory rehabilitation, or at worst, a small fine.
No jail time.
So what Did Portugal’s Drug Decriminalization do?
Well, in the late 90s, Portugal was dealing with a serious problem.
Rates of AIDS among drug addicts were higher than anywhere else in the European Union.
Although there were fewer drug users overall, there was a much higher proportion of addicts
among users.
Portugal’s effort to reduce the harm caused by drugs through decriminalization has had
some interesting results.
Despite hopes that the rates of addiction would fall, The CATO Institute noted that
in the last decade and a half, drug use rates have actually stayed the same in Portugal.
Many detractors feared that the country would become dependent on drug tourism, but that
didn’t happen either.
Instead, Portugal has seen a significant decline in sexually transmitted disease, overdoses,
and rates of HIV and AIDS.
The clearest explanation for this shift is a combination of two forces: A governmental
push towards treatment options instead of jail time for addicts.
And a lack of stigma or punishment when seeking help for drug issues.
This is known as harm reduction.
That is, an acknowledgement and regulation of the problem, rather than the usual practice
of outlawing it, followed by punishment and jail time.
Many have touted Portugal’s experiment as a step towards the way we look at drug addiction,
by stressing that it is a health issue, not a crime.
Portugal’s success with decriminalization may provide a framework on how to solve drug
problems in other countries.
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