Decriminalized Portugal
2010-12-28 15:50:57.719727+00 by
meuon
5 comments
Wash Post story about Portugal decriminalizing drugs
Drugs in Portugal are still illegal. But here's what Portugal did: It changed the law so that users are sent to counseling and sometimes treatment instead of criminal courts and prison. The switch from drugs as a criminal issue to a public health one was aimed at preventing users from going underground.
Good article worth reading, with lots of stats/info from many places. I'm sure it's biased, but it seems to be pretty well done.
[ related topics:
Drugs Health
]
comments in descending chronological order (reverse):
#Comment Re: What's with Mexico? made: 2010-12-30 20:27:22.022375+00 by:
jeff
You make an important point and to a point I tend to agree with you Larry.
But I also believe that the "drug business" is so lucrative that it possibly exacerbates the activities of bad elements within Mexico's social distribution.
If not drugs would we instead simply see a greater emphasis on "human trafficking," and crimes associated with this and/or other practices?
#Comment Re: made: 2010-12-30 18:02:50.877263+00 by:
Larry Burton
While I generally believe it to be bad to outlaw the personal use of any chemical and would support the decriminalization of all personal drug use and possession there is something about the drug traffickers that has occurred to me. These are not nice people who have become violent and sociopathic due to the drugs they are trafficking. These are bad people who will do anything for money and power. Even if we take actions that take the money out of drug trafficking these bad guys will still exist, will still have the same propensity for violence and will move to some other means to grab money and power.
#Comment Re: A Lost City... made: 2010-12-30 01:47:58.80717+00 by:
jeff
The numbers are staggering. And they're not hard to understand.
Which is worse? The drug cartels, the Mexican Army, or the Mexican government?
The common denominator?
#Comment Re: made: 2010-12-29 21:54:32.707086+00 by:
Dan Lyke
I don't think it'd change that last one much, but I think legalization would be a tremendous step towards reducing violent and non-violent crime and prison populations in both countries.
#Comment Re: made: 2010-12-29 20:34:33.545999+00 by:
jeff
This begs many questions. If we did the same in the United States what effect would it have on:
Crime in the US?
Crime in Mexico?
Violent crime in the US?
Violent crime in Mexico?
Prison populations in the US?
Prison populations in Mexico?
Illegal immigration from Mexico to the US?