Mr. Shaman
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Nov 27, 2007
- Messages
- 7,829
"In 2001, the Portugese government decriminalised recreational drugs including heroin and cocaine in an attempt to reduce the number of hard drug users in the country. Eight years later, Claudia Hammond visited Lisbon to see whether the change in the law had been effective.
They are still illegal, but a person caught with less than 10 days' supply is not considered a criminal, but a patient. Instead they appear before a Dissuasion Commission.
And the results? Fears that Portugal would become a haven for drug tourists have not come true and the number of deaths from drugs has decreased.
The secretary of state for health told me it has been a great success, with police figures suggesting that the use of every drug has either gone down or remained stable, apart from cocaine which has recently become fashionable."
What's a drug-warrior to do, when his/her worst-case fantasy (simply) becomes one-more Cry Wolf effort?