Portugal's drug decriminalization faces growing opposition as downsides grow
Portugal's drug decriminalization faces growing opposition as downsides grow
As addiction becomes more visible in cities like Porto, authorities and citizens groups debate whether to undo Portugal's landmark tolerance for drug use.
Not at all to say the net balance on the pros/cons for decriminalization has tipped, especially since one of the main points the article mentions is that the funding that was supposed to social services and rehabilitation programs that went hand in hand with decriminalization has absolutely cratered over the last decade, but flubbing the execution on programs like this is why they don't catch on more and one of the main (and to be fair valid) points of contention about spreading ideas like this further.
Despite Portugal scrapping the treatment and social work side of the decriminalization program, as the article begrudgingly admits, drug abuse stats are generally lower than or the same as elsewhere in the EU. How resuming the persecution of drug users would improve the situation is apparently left as an exercise for the reader.
There's big money in prosecution and not nearly as much in just leaving people alone.