I live in southern Portugal, and over the years I've observed big differences in how natives and foreigners react to Portuguese drug laws. The native Portugues

I live in southern Portugal, and over the years I've observed big differences in how natives and foreigners react to Portuguese drug laws. The native Portuguese feel that it's not ok to consume drugs, but that for those that do, the law provides a path of rehabilitation before resorting to punishment. And this is in fact the intention behind the decriminalization of drug consumption. On the other hand, younger foreigners often seem to take the laws as a license to consume, some becoming unable to work and spending their days smoking pot. And their older counterparts similarly fall into alcoholism, wine and beer being very cheap here. My point is that Portuguese laws are made for Portuguese people, who tend to do things in moderation. There is no universal solution, and no guarantee that the Portuguese model would work anywhere else.