Drogenlegalisierung in Portugal

Eine Sache, die ich schon wieder aus den Augen verloren hatte: 2001 hat Portugal (anscheinend alle) Drogen "dekriminalisiert". Seither ist der Drogengebrauch konstant geblieben, unter jungen Leuten eher gefallen.

The political consensus in favor of decriminalization is unsurprising in light of the relevant empirical data. Those data indicate that decriminalization has had no adverse effect on drug usage rates in Portugal, which, in numerous categories, are now among the lowest in the EU, particularly when compared with states with stringent criminalization regimes. Although postdecriminalization usage rates have remained roughly the same or even decreased slightly when compared with other EU states, drug-related pathologies — such as sexually transmitted diseases and deaths due to drug usage — have decreased dramatically. Drug policy experts attribute those positive trends to the enhanced ability of the Portuguese government to offer treatment programs to its citizens — enhancements made possible, for numerous reasons, by decriminalization.