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this post was submitted on 20 Apr 2024
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Aside from being there many times and seeing the problem first-hand here are a few articles:
https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/is-portugals-drug-decriminalization-a-failure-or-success-the-answer-isnt-so-simple/#:~:text=Overdose%20rates%20now%20stand%20at,just%20from%202021%20to%202022.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/25/it-beats-getting-stoned-on-the-street-how-portugal-decriminalised-drugs-as-seen-from-the-shoot-up-centre
The idea that decriminalization leads to less hard drug usage is seen to have an initial positive effect (which could be why you had previously thought it was better) but unfortunately has led to a larger unmaintainable drug problema:
Check Portland, OR. Not going so great now. The drugs nowadays are synthetic and designed to be addictive to most people. Decriminalizing them isn't going to get them off the streets and stop people from getting hooked.
Wharton handwaives the fact that they're still lower than the European average and much lower on hard drug usage. Yes the usage rates in Portugal went up. The entire world's usage rate went up. Turns out bad economic times make people turn to drugs to deal with the grind. And it's not some initial effect either, Portugal did their decriminalization 20 years ago.
As to the effects, the Guardian Article has a great snippet for you-
So yeah deaths have gone up but it's from a miniscule number and is still far below other countries, including ours. The US lost 31 per 100,000 people in 2021. Portugal lost .71 people per 100,000 in 2021. Whatever they're doing is far more effective than what we're doing.
Portland did it right before Covid, during the opioid crisis, and never funded the treatment part or took any of the other measures Portugal did. Basically they did it in the worst way possible.
So please attempt to tell me again, without the conservative business school's mud, how Portugal is some kind of failure?
edit - Oh god that Wharton link is worse than I thought, he's flogging a book. No wonder he's doing hot takes. He wants to sell copies.
You originally said that you find Portugal less 'burdened', I am just pointing out that that is not the case. Decriminalization takes significant amount of spending and burden for both Portugal and Portland and isn't showing improvements in the community. If a policy isn't making an impact it's not a working policy: this experiment has been alive in Portugal for over 20 years. Feel free to look at more sources, or provide proof that it does work, I'm all ears.
I have heavy drug users in my family. Giving them access to more supply and mobility to shoot up whenever they want isn't going to help them. They don't think that way.
I didn't realize providing health care was considered a burden in civilized countries. But you're also mischaracterizing what I said. I Said they were less burdened by drug problems than other countries. So unless you're saying we should just let our friends and family die you're demonstrably wrong. Portugal is vastly improved from where they were and this minor uptick in problems does not negate that.
I did provide proof. Out of your own source that's a respected newspaper. I'm sorry you're dealing with addiction in your family but the evidence has been clear for decades. Decriminalize and treat. Portland forgot the second part and tried to make a large policy change during a pandemic. And instead of course correcting they're throwing the whole thing out and going back to the system that didn't work before.