Legal Fix - Portugal

Portugal's maverick drug laws a credible global model?

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After suffering the highest instance of drug-related deaths in all Europe, Portugal took a brave decision and decriminalised all drugs. Ten years on, is it a success story for other nations to follow?

On the streets of Lisbon drug users light up wherever they want. One police officer tells us the girl across the street is smoking crack. He complains, but few share his sentiment. "Considering drug users as criminals just because they are using drugs is not a very realistic approach", a Portuguese drug addiction officer argues. He has just had an interview with a sixteen-year-old boy caught smoking hashish. No punishment was handed out, just advice. In Portugal it's now seen as a health problem, rather than a criminal one. Brendan Hughes of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs says it is very difficult to analyse the success of the law. He points to one very interesting fact: "In 10 years of governments in Portugal, where they have changed from left to centre-right to left, back to centre-right, drugs have stayed off the agenda". Due to the economic crisis, funding for the rehabilitation of drug offenders is going to be very seriously hit. For Dr Goulao, the public face of the law, it comes at the worst possible time. "I believe that more people will turn to drugs and alcohol."

A Film By SBS
Distributed By Journeyman Pictures
November 2011

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

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• portugal
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[Valtyful]

Forgett Amsterdam, come to Lisbon instead...use it, but don't abuse it :)

[DgurlSunshine]

OVERGROW THE GOVERNMENTS....HEMP WILL SAVE OUR PLANET...GOOGLE THAT

[sarabower1]

@theH0UNDSofD00M how do you think they get that proper data

[theH0UNDSofD00M]

@Idonteatdog Is that why more than million Brazilians spent the last 15 years grabbing every badly paid job in the Portuguese capital? Guess that you people feel really comfortable in favelas, huh?!?

[theH0UNDSofD00M]

I'm originally from Portugal and I can tell you that the decriminalization of drugs was a massive success. Obviously the cops are not happy because now a days they can't beat us up into submission just so we tell 'em who sells & who doesn't. It's ridiculous that they even have the nerve of complaining that people won't "cooperate". No one should incriminate themselves. In the UK, for example, no cop would dream to ask you who's your dealer because they only deal with proper data and not hearsay.

[Snoopadaz]

FUCK THE POLICE!

THEY CONFISCATE THE DRUGS SO THEY CAN USE THEM!

ITS TRUE!

[Snoopadaz]

A POLICIA QUE VÁ MASÉ PARA O CARALHO!

ESSES BÓFIAS À PAISANA VÃO TOMAR NO CU FILHOS DUMA PUTA!

TIRAM AS GANZAS AO PESSOAL PARA DEPOIS IREM FUMAR!

RETROGADOS DE MERDA, SÓ PENSAM EM VIOLÊNCIA!

[legion3721]

@KripDrip Probably...........they always find something.

[KripDrip]

if that was the case, they would outlaw alcohol, cigarettes, food and water! think how much more money they and the prisons make busting people for eating and drinking.

[dragSD]

@Idonteatdog brazilians haters lol . anyway you are always welcome to Portugal .

[sh4p3shifter]

fuck off european drug monitoring EU pieces of shit. Let Portugal do what they want.

[Idonteatdog]

Lisbon looks like a big slum of the Rio de Janeiro.