Portugal's Drug Decriminalization Policy Shows Positive Results

[yes_justice]

More over at Scientific American

"5 Years After: Portugal's Drug Decriminalization Policy Shows Positive Results
Street drug–related deaths from overdoses drop and the rate of HIV cases crashes"

In the face of a growing number of deaths and cases of HIV linked to drug abuse, the Portuguese government in 2001 tried a new tack to get a handle on the problem—it decriminalized the use and possession of heroin, cocaine, marijuana, LSD and other illicit street drugs. The theory: focusing on treatment and prevention instead of jailing users would decrease the number of deaths and infections.

Five years later, the number of deaths from street drug overdoses dropped from around 400 to 290 annually, and the number of new HIV cases caused by using dirty needles to inject heroin, cocaine and other illegal substances plummeted from nearly 1,400 in 2000 to about 400 in 2006,  according to a report released recently by the Cato Institute, a Washington, D.C, libertarian think tank.

 "Now instead of being put into prison, addicts are going to treatment centers and they're learning how to control their drug usage or getting off drugs entirely," report author Glenn Greenwald, a former New York State constitutional litigator, said during a press briefing at Cato last week.

Under the Portuguese plan, penalties for people caught dealing and trafficking drugs are unchanged; dealers are still jailed and subjected to fines depending on the crime. But people caught using or possessing small amounts—defined as the amount needed for 10 days of personal use—are brought before what's known as a "Dissuasion Commission," an administrative body created by the 2001 law.

Via DoseNation

Comments

[ankh156.livejournal.com]

Most of Europe has ignored it too. Even Amsterdam would have been a resounding success if it wasn't for the gangsters in City Hall. (Most people think it's a success anyway, even the amsterdammers.)

[yes-justice.livejournal.com]

To me, its not that the government is so rampant with abuse, its astonishing that it isn't moreso corrupt. And that's the incentive. Doing good for its own sake.

In a world where there really isn't a god protecting us from the good and evil we and the world have to offer ourselves, the real question is why are there still as many people doing good as there are?

Integrity. Some people just realize that good behavior is its own reward, so to speak.

Economic forces can be quite compelling, as we may not be able to afford the massive drug war spending anymore. Also, there is still the fact that politicians respond to some extent to public support and a groundswell of demand could force their hand.

[raindrops.livejournal.com]

No, no, no, this can't be right!

Where's the anarchy, the chaos, the slavering zombie hordes of junkies?

Oh, right, that's here.

[anne1204.livejournal.com]

I can't believe it, focusing towards drug addiction cures and prevention, rather than drugs prohibition, has more impressive effects on the death ratio numbers. I guess this is reasonable, after all there are so many victims who lose their life due drug interdiction, people who most of the times die because they are poorly treated . Who knows how much time will have to pass until more countries will adopt this kind of policy. Till then, the ones who realize they want to get rid of addiction are welcomed in any prescription drug treatment centers in Califo (http://www.menarec.com/when-medication-goes-bad/), or any other place, as long as they truly want to get their life back on track.