4 ms·
Over a decade ago Portugal decriminalized drug use. You will not be considered a criminal if you use drugs, and will be treated like a sick person and provided
by fmsf 12y ago
Over a decade ago Portugal decriminalized drug use. You will not be considered a criminal if you use drugs, and will be treated like a sick person and provided help, by the government, if you want to cure your addiction. On the other hand, selling will take you straight to jail. If you carry drugs with you, the distinction between carrying for usage or for selling is the maximum amount allowed (in grams) which varies from drug to drug.
- corin_ 12y agoI think Portugal's policy is great, but it's worth noting that they don't quite treat you just "like a sick person" - there are mandated treatments/etc. that they can (and will) force on drug users, rather than just saying "hey we're opening the doors to treatment should you want it". They released a 10 year report in 2011 that basically showed drug use had gone down by nearly any metric since they changed the laws in 2001. Not sure the best source to link to, but Forbes have an easy-reading brief piece [1] and tdpf.org.uk has some more detailed stats with references cited [2] (from a quick google for the report's findings) [1] http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2011/07/05/ten-years-after-decriminalization-drug-abuse-down-by-half-in-portugal/ http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2011/07/05/ten-years-af... [2] http://www.tdpf.org.uk/blog/drug-decriminalisation-portugal-setting-record-straight http://www.tdpf.org.uk/blog/drug-decriminalisation-portugal-...