1. #1
    Stood in the Fire
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    Portugal and drugs policy

    Firt of all im not used to create new threads so sry if another about this jave already been created.

    http://www.businessinsider.com.au/po...n-works-2012-7

    I found this article, tougth you guys migth be interested.

    "On July 1st, 2001, Portugal decriminalized every imaginable drug, from marijuana, to cocaine, to heroin. Some thought Lisbon would become a drug tourist haven, others predicted usage rates among youths to surge.Eleven years later, it turns out they were both wrong.

    ...

    Portugal’s move to decriminalize does not mean people can carry around, use, and sell drugs free from police interference. That would be legalization. Rather, all drugs are “decriminalized,” meaning drug possession, distribution, and use is still illegal. While distribution and trafficking is still a criminal offence, possession and use is moved out of criminal courts and into a special court where each offender’s unique situation is judged by legal experts, psychologists, and social workers. Treatment and further action is decided in these courts, where addicts and drug use is treated as a public health service rather than referring it to the justice system (like the U.S.), reports Fox News.

    The resulting effect: a drastic reduction in addicts, with Portuguese officials and reports highlighting that this number, at 100,000 before the new policy was enacted, has been halved in the following 10 years. Portugal’s drug usage rates are now among the lowest of EU member states, according to the same report.

    One more outcome: a lot less sick people. Drug related diseases including STDs and overdoses have been reduced even more than usage rates, which experts believe is the result of the government offering treatment with no threat of legal ramifications to addicts.

    While this policy is by no means news, the statistics and figures, which take years to develop and subsequently depict the effects of the change, seem to be worth noting. In a country like America, which may take the philosophy of criminalization a bit far (more than half of America’s federal inmates are in prison on drug convictions), other alternatives must, and to a small degree, are being discussed.

    ... "

    Byh the way this is from a sitec called Business insider Australia
    “Dois loucos não sabiam que era impossível realizar a tarefa, decidiram então realizá-la.” Mark Twain

  2. #2
    And in the Netherlands we have already noticed all the positive effects of decriminalizing it for 50 years almost now. The whole "pot is the devil" thing is just something conservatives together with probably the alcohol (and these days the privatised prison system) lobby tries to keep in place. It is not like everybody here is constantly stoned or something. That is usually just the tourists. Most people need to work in the morning so it is simply something you might enjoy besides alcohol (which is 100x more popular anyways).

  3. #3
    Indeed. Portugal, spain, and italy have all decriminalized the usage of all drugs. And if you just look at the data, its improved things tremendously. Less over doses, less usage, less crime, less deaths, etc. Unfortunately, most people think the moment you decriminalize drugs, everyone's going to be like OMG I'VE GOTS TO TRY SOME COCAINE!! But this is obviously not the case. I forsee most of Europe eventually decriminalizing all drugs, and then the U.S. should do it about 10 years after that lol. Our prison and pharmaceutical lobbyists will make sure of that.
    Last edited by Echelonl; 2014-01-24 at 07:47 PM.

  4. #4
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    The authorities in those country's don't give a damn if you spend your money on a joint, they want the dealers and the distributors, laws are made so you cannot consume them in public and after a certain dosage is illegal, so if you want to kill yourself do it in your home sort of speak, doesn't clobber jails, doesn't take millions from the state and the people, and police can focus money and effort on the big sharks, because if you catch a shark, there will be blood in the water, and more sharks will come, effective.

  5. #5
    It works. Every country should be using Portugal as a model. The vested interests in controlled markets is whats holding back common sense.

  6. #6
    Scarab Lord Zoranon's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by plat0nic View Post
    It works. Every country should be using Portugal as a model. The vested interests in controlled markets is whats holding back common sense.
    It is better than the current situation, but the Portuguese solution still leaves the profits of drug trade in the hands of criminal cartels, much better to legalise everything, regulate and tax it.
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    someone who disagrees with me is simply wrong.

  7. #7
    I am Murloc! crakerjack's Avatar
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    That's how it is in oregon, or atleast for marijuana... anything under an oz is a violation which is not the same as a crime. Crimes = handcuffs/jail, Violation = Slap the wrist/potential fine.
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  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Zoranon View Post
    It is better than the current situation, but the Portuguese solution still leaves the profits of drug trade in the hands of criminal cartels, much better to legalize everything, regulate and tax it.
    Well, you cant legalize everything, its not economically viable, productivity will drop like a brick, cartels will exist always, better to have a few that you know what to expect, so the state can "control", yes, even crime is regulated on the side lines.
    Last edited by mmoc250e4e5ea7; 2014-01-24 at 08:53 PM.

  9. #9
    http://www.theprovince.com/news/Vanc...702/story.html
    wish we had portugals drug policy

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  10. #10
    Scarab Lord Zoranon's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by kalegos89 View Post
    Well, you cant legalize everything, its not economically viable, productivity will drop like a brick, cartels will exist always, better to have a few that you know what to expect, so the state can "control", yes, even crime is regulated on the side lines.
    Yes you can, drugs have only been baned for a century or so. And there was no productivity surge after they were. Drug trade is a major source of money for organised crime, cut it out and they will become weaker.

    In short, legalisation brings money to the state, takes it from criminals and ensure addicts have clean stuff. Thats a win-win-win situation.
    Quote Originally Posted by b2121945 View Post
    Don't see what's wrong with fighting alongside Nazi Germany
    Quote Originally Posted by JfmC View Post
    someone who disagrees with me is simply wrong.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Zoranon View Post
    Yes you can, drugs have only been baned for a century or so. And there was no productivity surge after they were. Drug trade is a major source of money for organised crime, cut it out and they will become weaker.

    In short, legalisation brings money to the state, takes it from criminals and ensure addicts have clean stuff. Thats a win-win-win situation.
    A century ago, the world was different, the people«s mind's where different, society was different, you cant compare there and now, and you can't extinguish organized crime, that's a utopia, doesn't matter what governments do, people first need to change, i'ts like gun control, guns don't kill people, people kill people.

    Things that World History teached us was, when you oppress people they will rebel, when you give everything people will loose respect for it, so, first the people's minds in the world need to change, that's why these country's are in half in half situation, and it's working, for now.

  12. #12
    Decriminalization =/= legalization.


    Drug traffickers are still pursued and taken down here.

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