The day I was there, young people were waiting for HIV test results while others were playing cards, complaining about police harassment, trying on outfits, exchanging advice on life situations, watching movies and having encouraging conversations with each other. They differed in age, religion, ethnicity and gender identity, and came from across the country and around the world. As a thin, older man walked out of the bathroom, unrecognizable after shaving his beard, an energetic young man who had flipped through magazines raised his arms and applauded. Then he turned to a quiet man sitting on the other side, his lush beard and curly black hair under his cap, and said, “What about you? Why don`t you shave your beard? You can`t give up yourself, man. Then it`s over. The bearded man smiled. “Portugal experienced an increase in drug use after the introduction of [decriminalization], but so did many European countries during that period. Cannabis use has increased only moderately, but rates of cocaine and amphetamine use appear to be doubling from a low base. Drug use became an administratively punishable offense, but not a crime, and was placed under the jurisdiction of the Commissions for the Deterrence of Drug Addiction, created by Legislative Decree No. 130 -A / 2001 (January 23, 2001). The PDPM is consistent with the conviction that the war on drugs has failed and is therefore committed to ensuring greater respect for the rights of drug users; and it is also in line with broader European and global trends towards policies that reduce penalties for drug use [6]. The opioid crisis quickly stabilized, and in the years that followed, there was a dramatic decline in rates of problematic drug use, HIV and hepatitis infection, overdose deaths, drug-related crime, and incarceration rates.
HIV infection rose from a record high in 2000 of 104.2 new cases per million to 4.2 cases per million in 2015. The data behind these changes have been studied and cited as evidence by harm reduction movements around the world. However, it is misleading to attribute these positive results solely to a change in the law. I`m not sure that “pharmacologically induced force” is the real problem; I would be more concerned (perhaps the definition includes this) that poor addicts are more willing to steal (and do harm) to satisfy their addiction. And I`m willing to bet that alcohol consumption is positively correlated with violent crime. This was certainly not a terrible assumption in the 80s, especially when America`s crime rate was much higher than it is today. Already, the rate of violent crime is 10 times higher than in Europe. Agra v. Entre droga e crime: actores, espaços, trajectórias. Lisbon: Editorial Notícias; 1998. It is not surprising that, although the consumer was already punished almost symbolically by law in 1993 (Legislative Decree No.
15/93), the number of prisoners continued to increase, and in 1999 drug-related offences were the main reason for the effectiveness of prison sentences, which considerably increased the application of custodial sentences without a corresponding increase in the crime rate [39]. This trend was observed until 2003, when, after the coming into force of decriminalization, property crimes returned to the peak [39], as they still are today. Footnote 2 I suspect that access to treatment (mentioned above) is an important factor in reducing drug use. I also remember reading a quote from a Dutch health minister who assumed a de facto legalization regime for weed: “We managed to make weed boring.” And I`ve heard testimonies from heroin addicts who have access to legally supervised injection sites. They say things like, “The lifestyle has gotten boring.” The elimination of social censorship and the medicalization of addiction seem to remove some of the thrill-seeking from lifestyle. The dramatic drop in drug use due to Portugal`s legalization is superficially surprising, but it makes sense given these details. Portugal`s geography has made it a hotspot for drug trafficking between Europe and Africa. Heroin gained popularity in the 1980s, and despite the implementation of government-funded methadone and needle exchange programs, blood-borne diseases were prevalent in the 90s. Although the country appears to have used far fewer drugs than its neighbours, it still had the highest rate of HIV among injecting drug users in the EU, with CIA estimates claiming there were more than 22,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in 2001. Recent data on people incarcerated under the Drug Act (December 31, 2019) suggests that 1862 inmates (the second lowest number in this decade) were convicted primarily of trafficking (76%), followed by minor transactions (24%).
The “other” category represents less than 1% [27]. Notably, there is no information on the crime of drug use. The increase in punitive measures raises the question of what has happened in Portugal over the past decade and the role actually played by the 2008 Supreme Court decision. The performance was well reported and the subject was finally addressed in the BBC`s Question Time. After a listener mentioned the example of Portgual, Melanie Phillips criticized the example, citing several statistics condemning Portugal`s decriminalization policies, such as rising drug use and death rates. America also has much bigger problems with premeditated murders, gang crimes, and gun violence. An already significant growth in the underground crime scene could have catastrophic social consequences. Judge Woods A decade after the decriminalization of drugs, what can the United States learn from the Portuguese model? Univ District Columbia Law Rev.
2011;15(1):1–31. Therefore, the case for decriminalization leading to lower use is weak (note that this was not legalization: you still have to buy your drugs in a shady part of the city, without quality control, so you can end up pulling chalk out of your veins; You can still be punished for drugs; It`s just not a crime, rather similar to getting a parking ticket). Portugal has decriminalized the possession of small amounts of virtually all common drugs such as cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and LSD, which are illegal in most other countries. Anyone in possession of less than “ten days” must appear before a “Drug Deterrence Board,” usually a doctor, lawyer, and social worker. The Board may impose a small fine or recommend voluntary treatment, but its purpose is “deterrence” and, in most cases, no sanctions of any kind are imposed. Possession or trafficking of drugs worth more than “ten days” remains a crime punishable by fines and imprisonment. Since 2012, consumption appears to have increased over the past year, particularly among people over the age of 25.20 However, this is based on relatively limited data from SICAD (the Portuguese Agency for Drug Addiction) and only one other dataset – in 2016. Regardless, Portugal still has one of the lowest rates of drug use in Europe.