What do you think about decriminalizing all drugs, including hard drugs like heroine?

[pickles11]

Original Article: What We Can Learn From Portugal's War On Drugs

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About a decade and a half ago, Portugal was having problems with hard drug abuse. Rather than increasing police forces and arresting all the users, they chose to decriminalize drugs including marijuana, cocaine, heroine and methamphetamine’s. Portugal invested in education and helping drug users get past their addiction. This change in policy treated drug abusers as patients who need help, rather than criminals and allowed the government to put more resources towards therapy, in place of incarcerating patients.

When drug users are seen as criminals, they are shunned from society and turn to more drugs to deal with their despair. It’s harder for them to get help because they feel alone. But if drug users are seen as patients, society views them as fellow people who need help getting their life back on track. It’s much easier to get help when you have people supporting you.

If someone is caught in possession of drugs in Portugal, they are sent to a panel composing of a social worker, psychologist and legal adviser for guidance. These professionals help patients understand the root of their addiction and why it’s in their best interest to stop taking drugs. The user can choose to refuse help without any legal consequences.

Imaginably, there were many critics who felt this would make the drug epidemic much worse. People thought tourists would flood the country to consume drugs without consequence. These people were very much wrong. Here are some of the facts:



Heroine and similar hard drugs related deaths decreased by over 50%
The chances of a 16-18 year old trying heroine in their life time decreased from 2.5% to 1.8%. (Report from 2001-2006)
The chances of a 7-9th grader trying any illegal drug in their lifetime decreased from 14.1% to 10.6% (Report from 2001-2006)
The amount of people stealing property greatly decreased.
Between 1999 and 2003, HIV infections among drug users decreased by 17%.

This is more than enough evidence to prove that criminalizing drug users only makes things worse. It wrongly labels people and tarnishes their reputation. It punishes the people who actually need help.

With all psychological knowledge we’ve gained from studies over the past several decades, and the failure of the ‘War on Drugs’, one has to ask, why do we keep doing the same thing over again and expect different results? Anyone with a basic understanding of human psychology knows fear and punishment is not the way to control people.

[taliey]

And here I was thinking it was another bait thread from wowaccounttom.

Portugal's experience serves more as a case study (read: unique + outlier) than as a model (which I assume you want other countries to emulate).

Honestly, the US's experience with the War on Drugs has been a massive failure. I would be open to try other alternatives (although my eyebrows are raised at the idea of outright decriminalization).

Sounds like something worth discussing though.

[Deleted]

And here I was thinking it was another bait thread from wowaccounttom.

Portugal's experience serves more as a case study (read: unique + outlier) than as a model (which I assume you want other countries to emulate).

Honestly, the US's experience with the War on Drugs has been a massive failure. I would be open to try other alternatives (although my eyebrows are raised at the idea of outright decriminalization).

Sounds like something worth discussing though.

Considering how corrupt this "war on drugs is", to the point that media makes a mockery of it constantly... Yeah I do think legalizing everything and letting people themselves realize that overdoses arent all that great is a good idea.

By having them illegal there is less competition on who supplies the goods, there is more risk involved leading dealers to often be armed etc etc...

Honestly, I think portugal made the most logical thing any government can do in order to combat drug abuse....

Drugs are awful, but by treating the people addicted on them as shit we will never get anywhere.

[Everwake]

At this point, anything would be better than what the U.S. has been doing. That said, how would for-profit prisons survive if we weren't locking people up for petty drug offenses? How would Aramark make any money?

[Deleted]

I think this is a perfect solution.

[dwightyo39]

I don't think it would make things any worse. Besides, the only way the war on drugs could "win" is if everyone in America allowed law enforcement agencies daily searches of every automobile, building, and person (huge invasion of privacy). They would also need to build a giant wall/dome over the country to isolate it. Even then people would still find a way to get/use drugs or discover new ones.

[Moraith]

One of the greatest risks of taking controlled substances is that they are unregulated. MDMA for example is a gamble if you buy it as a pill or powder because you can't be sure what you are taking. Having experimented recreationally with marijuana, cocaine, MDMA and alcohol the latter is by far the most dangerous. Decriminalisation or even full or partial legalisation would create a safer environment for users, prevent deaths from impure drugs, raise revenues for governments and massively reduce drug related violence between dealers/cartels.

[Itisamuh]

I think they should all remain illegal, and have the penalty for being caught with them risen dramatically.

[Elegiac]

I think they should all remain illegal, and have the penalty for being caught with them risen dramatically.

And your reasoning for this is....what.

[Fencers]

I am for it if there is a strong social support system along with decriminalization. Also I suspect the success of such a policy is equally cultural.

In other words, I am skeptical every nation's culture will be as successful as Portugal in the example given.

[Conspicuous Cultist]

But how are for-profit prisons going to profit if their biggest source of income is taken from them? They are people too and they need to put bread on the table to support their family like you and I!

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I think they should all remain illegal, and have the penalty for being caught with them risen dramatically.

So... like a hanging?

[kyoloco]

do it and if you OD on them...then natural selection is doing its job

[Mukor]

“You see, I think drugs have done some good things for us. I really do. And if you don't believe drugs have done good things for us, do me a favor. Go home tonight. Take all your albums, all your tapes and all your CDs and burn them. 'Cause you know what, the musicians that made all that great music that's enhanced your lives throughout the years were rrreal fucking high on drugs. The Beatles were so fucking high they let Ringo sing a few tunes.” - Bill Hicks.

[IIamaKing]

I agree. All drugs should be legalized. All the drug war does is fund the cartels.

And police unions, and the prison guard unions.....oh you proly included those in the "cartels"

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I think they should all remain illegal, and have the penalty for being caught with them risen dramatically.

Thats one way to play it, a stupid way but a way none the less.

[Korlok]

“You see, I think drugs have done some good things for us. I really do. And if you don't believe drugs have done good things for us, do me a favor. Go home tonight. Take all your albums, all your tapes and all your CDs and burn them. 'Cause you know what, the musicians that made all that great music that's enhanced your lives throughout the years were rrreal fucking high on drugs. The Beatles were so fucking high they let Ringo sing a few tunes.” - Bill Hicks.

My thoughts exactly.

[Ayla]

Everything but Krokodil

[Acelius]

I'm actually surprised about those numbers from Portugal. In my head decriminalizing would lead to more people trying out drugs and could potentially end up with way more addicts than before.

[Trassk]

I think decriminalizing drugs, and monitoring how they are sold is a great thing, Stop people overdosing, people get their buzz, and you stop criminal gangs from selling them.

[IIamaKing]

I'm actually surprised about those numbers from Portugal. In my head decriminalizing would lead to more people trying out drugs and could potentially end up with way more addicts than before.

People who want to do drugs, are doing them. The war on drugs only manages to empower the very enterprises that it aims to shut down.

[THE Bigzoman]

Original Article: What We Can Learn From Portugal's War On Drugs

_________________________________________________

About a decade and a half ago, Portugal was having problems with hard drug abuse. Rather than increasing police forces and arresting all the users, they chose to decriminalize drugs including marijuana, cocaine, heroine and methamphetamine’s. Portugal invested in education and helping drug users get past their addiction. This change in policy treated drug abusers as patients who need help, rather than criminals and allowed the government to put more resources towards therapy, in place of incarcerating patients.

When drug users are seen as criminals, they are shunned from society and turn to more drugs to deal with their despair. It’s harder for them to get help because they feel alone. But if drug users are seen as patients, society views them as fellow people who need help getting their life back on track. It’s much easier to get help when you have people supporting you.

If someone is caught in possession of drugs in Portugal, they are sent to a panel composing of a social worker, psychologist and legal adviser for guidance. These professionals help patients understand the root of their addiction and why it’s in their best interest to stop taking drugs. The user can choose to refuse help without any legal consequences.

Imaginably, there were many critics who felt this would make the drug epidemic much worse. People thought tourists would flood the country to consume drugs without consequence. These people were very much wrong. Here are some of the facts:



Heroine and similar hard drugs related deaths decreased by over 50%
The chances of a 16-18 year old trying heroine in their life time decreased from 2.5% to 1.8%. (Report from 2001-2006)
The chances of a 7-9th grader trying any illegal drug in their lifetime decreased from 14.1% to 10.6% (Report from 2001-2006)
The amount of people stealing property greatly decreased.
Between 1999 and 2003, HIV infections among drug users decreased by 17%.

This is more than enough evidence to prove that criminalizing drug users only makes things worse. It wrongly labels people and tarnishes their reputation. It punishes the people who actually need help.

With all psychological knowledge we’ve gained from studies over the past several decades, and the failure of the ‘War on Drugs’, one has to ask, why do we keep doing the same thing over again and expect different results? Anyone with a basic understanding of human psychology knows fear and punishment is not the way to control people.

None of your facts mention the opposition's argument that you mentioned.

Do toursits go to Portugal and consume drugs without consequence or not?