salon.com— It's been seven years since that country decriminalized all drugs. What lessons are there for American drug policy debates?
Mar 14, 2009View in Crawl 4
Well, Afghanistan had the most successful prohibition that I am aware of. It lasted until we invaded in 2001. In the year prior, heroin use and sales virtually disappeared worldwide.My understanding is that drug use is a big problem there, which was not a problem under the Taliban.I find it extremely peculiar that we can wipe out the Taliban in a matter of weeks yet we can't stop heroin even with the might of the US armed forces? And when the Taliban was completely successful at banning the crop? Something does not add up, and I'd bet my bottom dollar we didn't go in there to find Bin Laden.
So, before you LibDigs go ga-ga over how wonderful the Portugal system is, you need to know that use and possession for use of drugs is no longer a criminal offense, but instead is prohibited as an administrative offense. To deal with these administrative offenses, each of the 18 administrative districts in Portugal will establish at least one committee that deals only with drug use in that district.These committees have wide-ranging power that may not fly too well in the freedom-loving USA.The law states that the committee should consider a number of criteria in determining what action to take with a drug user. These criteria include the severity of the offense, the type of drug used, whether use is in public or private; if the person is not an addict, whether use is occasional or habitual; the personal and economic/financial circumstances of the user.How these criteria are to be used is not stated. Some are of the opinion that the committee may choose not to take any action; others believe that some form of action, even if suspended, is required.The committees have a broad range of sanctions available to them. These include:- Imposition of fines- Suspension of the right to practice if the user has a licensed profession (e.g. medical doctor, taxi driver) and may endanger another person or someone's possessions;- ban on visiting "certain places" - ban on associating with specific "other persons"- interdiction to travel abroad- requirement to report periodically to the committee (which is not a legal entity)- withdrawal of the right to carry a gun (even though you are not a convicted felon)- confiscation of personal possessionsBottom line...be careful what you wish for.
I work in the Portuguese Institute for Drugs and alcohol addicts, and they are really well supported, in fact better than the average public, they have their one health care while in treatment and they don't pay a penny. Long term treatment can be support by the government in public or private specialized "clinics", where you usually see big houses with tennis courts, pool, jacuzzi,etc. Treatment can last up to 1 year and half, while government pays about 600€/month for each addict. Besides that, there are always ongoing projects, like giving free needles and condoms and programs to re-establish ex-addicts in the work environment. Anyway, all that is missing is legalize drugs, but i don't see it happening soon, we had our breakthroughs but we still have a predominant conservative thinking, prostitution and euthanasia is still illegal.
@nunofgs:OK, we agree on this: in Portugal decriminalizing use has had no noticeable effect in property crime rates or imprisonment.However we cannot generalize this "no-effect" to any other country without first assessing how use is persecuted in that particular country. If said country has a high rate of imprisonment for use or possession of small amounts the effect of decriminalizing that use and possession will probably be very noticeable short-term and positively huge after a few years.
I would like to have seen at least one statistic in this article to get me interested in his report. It's an important topic, and puff pieces don't help.
Economically feasible, and huge savings diverting money away from guns and police and putting it into harm reduction and treatment. Argentina is the latest, Mexico was recent, Canada (Vancouver) has been around, Holland (of course), and even Portugal all attest it is a better way to go. Why does America have such a hard time seeing this ? Puritanical, hypocritical morality of the right-wing.....
tsarsimeonMar 15, 2009
F**K RONALDO
buckrogers1965Mar 16, 2009
@ dandoniaI am glad you are keeping an open mind before you read the 50 page paper. /s
buckrogers1965Mar 16, 2009
If what you say is true, then Afganistan would have the worst heroin addiction problem in the world right now and this is simply not true.
Closed AccountMar 16, 2009
Well, Afghanistan had the most successful prohibition that I am aware of. It lasted until we invaded in 2001. In the year prior, heroin use and sales virtually disappeared worldwide.My understanding is that drug use is a big problem there, which was not a problem under the Taliban.I find it extremely peculiar that we can wipe out the Taliban in a matter of weeks yet we can't stop heroin even with the might of the US armed forces? And when the Taliban was completely successful at banning the crop? Something does not add up, and I'd bet my bottom dollar we didn't go in there to find Bin Laden.
captainamerica1Mar 16, 2009
So, before you LibDigs go ga-ga over how wonderful the Portugal system is, you need to know that use and possession for use of drugs is no longer a criminal offense, but instead is prohibited as an administrative offense. To deal with these administrative offenses, each of the 18 administrative districts in Portugal will establish at least one committee that deals only with drug use in that district.These committees have wide-ranging power that may not fly too well in the freedom-loving USA.The law states that the committee should consider a number of criteria in determining what action to take with a drug user. These criteria include the severity of the offense, the type of drug used, whether use is in public or private; if the person is not an addict, whether use is occasional or habitual; the personal and economic/financial circumstances of the user.How these criteria are to be used is not stated. Some are of the opinion that the committee may choose not to take any action; others believe that some form of action, even if suspended, is required.The committees have a broad range of sanctions available to them. These include:- Imposition of fines- Suspension of the right to practice if the user has a licensed profession (e.g. medical doctor, taxi driver) and may endanger another person or someone's possessions;- ban on visiting "certain places" - ban on associating with specific "other persons"- interdiction to travel abroad- requirement to report periodically to the committee (which is not a legal entity)- withdrawal of the right to carry a gun (even though you are not a convicted felon)- confiscation of personal possessionsBottom line...be careful what you wish for.
sanandaMar 16, 2009
You forgot to mention that who ever gets cought has to go to specialized doctor.
sanandaMar 16, 2009
I work in the Portuguese Institute for Drugs and alcohol addicts, and they are really well supported, in fact better than the average public, they have their one health care while in treatment and they don't pay a penny. Long term treatment can be support by the government in public or private specialized "clinics", where you usually see big houses with tennis courts, pool, jacuzzi,etc. Treatment can last up to 1 year and half, while government pays about 600€/month for each addict. Besides that, there are always ongoing projects, like giving free needles and condoms and programs to re-establish ex-addicts in the work environment. Anyway, all that is missing is legalize drugs, but i don't see it happening soon, we had our breakthroughs but we still have a predominant conservative thinking, prostitution and euthanasia is still illegal.
draxenatoMar 17, 2009
I'd agree they have an idealogical agenda, or a philosophical one, but I still think they're politically agnostic.
sherringfordMar 17, 2009
@nunofgs:OK, we agree on this: in Portugal decriminalizing use has had no noticeable effect in property crime rates or imprisonment.However we cannot generalize this "no-effect" to any other country without first assessing how use is persecuted in that particular country. If said country has a high rate of imprisonment for use or possession of small amounts the effect of decriminalizing that use and possession will probably be very noticeable short-term and positively huge after a few years.
macjeffffMar 20, 2009
I would like to have seen at least one statistic in this article to get me interested in his report. It's an important topic, and puff pieces don't help.
leatherscotApr 27, 2009
Truth and Opinion have different definitions in my world
swamplizardJul 16, 2009
There is a video at Cato as well.
scottportraitsSep 6, 2009
Economically feasible, and huge savings diverting money away from guns and police and putting it into harm reduction and treatment. Argentina is the latest, Mexico was recent, Canada (Vancouver) has been around, Holland (of course), and even Portugal all attest it is a better way to go. Why does America have such a hard time seeing this ? Puritanical, hypocritical morality of the right-wing.....