Could the U.S. learn some lessons from Portugal?

This seems worth a discussion:

Over a decade has passed since Portugal changed its philosophy from labeling drug users as criminals to labeling them as people affected by a disease. This time lapse has allowed statistics to develop and in time, has made Portugal an example to follow. 

First, some clarification.

Portugal’s move to decriminalize does not mean people can carry around, use, and sell drugs free from police interference. That would be legalization. Rather, all drugs are “decriminalized,” meaning drug possession, distribution, and use is still illegal. While distribution and trafficking is still a criminal offense, possession and use is moved out of criminal courts and into a special court where each offender’s unique  situation is judged by legal experts, psychologists, and social workers. Treatment and further action is decided in these courts, where addicts and drug use is treated as a public health service rather than referring it to the justice system (like the U.S.), reports Fox News.

The resulting effect: a drastic reduction in addicts, with Portuguese officials and reports highlighting that this number, at 100,000 before the new policy was enacted, has been halved in the following ten years. Portugal’s drug usage rates are now among the lowest of EU member states, according to the same report

One more outcome: a lot less sick people. Drug related diseases including STDs and overdoses have been reduced even more than usage rates, which experts believe is the result of the government offering treatment with no threat of legal ramifications to addicts.

Here’s a chart that outlines how the “War on Drugs” here in the United States has led to our nation having the highest rate of incarceration rate in the world.

While I understand it may not be politically expedient for elected officials to explore a drug policy in our nation that doesn’t focus on incarceration as the “best” method of correcting the behaviors that lead to drug use, Portugal’s experience since decriminalizing drugs seems to bear out the fact that some change in how our society deals with drug crimes might be in order.

Share:

Related Articles

2 thoughts on “Could the U.S. learn some lessons from Portugal?

  1. Treating people like criminals encourages them to become criminals. But in this culture of death, too many bureaucrats think they have to lord it over someone whenever they can. It’s why people in this country and elsewhere so despise a government that should be a model for the world.

  2. Indeed we could learn a lot from Portugal, and the Netherlands, and Switzerland, and Denmark, and the UK with respect to our attitudes toward drug usage. But, gee whiz, that might be a slippery slope which could lead Americans to believe that America isn’t exceptional or leading the world in innovative ideas.

Comments are closed.