Andrey Sokolov - Economics and human rights

Again! The decriminalization of all drugs has led to a decrease in the number of people using the heaviest of the drugs in question – heroin. In the late 1990s, heroin was used by 100,000 Portuguese people, now – 50,000, many of whom are trying to recover.

Prior to 2001, Portugal was one of the most problem areas in the European Union with regard to drug addiction and was leading the EU in terms of the number of HIV-infected among drug addicts. In a country with a population of 10 million people, there were 2000 new cases of HIV every year. The highest percentage of AIDS deaths in the EU was also recorded here.

For 20 years, Portuguese authorities have been fighting drug addiction with standard force methods. Of course, unsuccessfully. And then the government decided to act humanely and at the same time revolutionary. The state decriminalized the storage of all kinds of drugs and began to fight the disease, with drug addiction, and not with people. This is logical. After all, no one is fighting a patient who has a stomach ulcer or flu. Fight disease.

This is logical, but apparently not all state men are available. In drug addicts, they see not people, but scum, criminals. Although they themselves do not mind indulging in such a drug as alcohol – from beer to whiskey, or such as a cigar…

The squalidness of the authorities, as a rule, is the main cause of the problems of the inhabitants. It is this, not drugs, weapons, immigrants or prostitution. By the number of taboo topics in the society, by the number of bans, we can fairly accurately judge the degree of maturity of society. And the position and actions of the Portuguese authorities on the background of other countries look even more dignified.

Decriminalization of drugs in Portugal was preceded by the large work of the commission on the development of a national drug control strategy.

The measures taken have made it possible to achieve the main goal – problems and dangers have become much less for the drug addicts themselves and for other people.

And all it was necessary to look out for the state baton and think about every inhabitant, as a person. A person who has the right to life and health. A person who has the right to independently manage his life.

What did this lead to?

Portugal did not become a Mecca for heroin users, did not fall into a coma, did not win drug addiction. (And where and who won?).

And here are the numbers:

Cases of HIV among drug addicts in 2001 (only fixed) – 1000. In 2012 – only 56!

Death from drugs: in 2001, 80 people, in 2012 – significantly less – 16 people.

Criminal cases related to drug offenses (and budget expenses for conducting these cases, of course). In 2001, there were 14,000 cases. In 2012 – 6000 cases – the budget is saved more than half.

Single use of drugs in Portugal declined in all age groups. This is especially important in the group of 15—24 years. At this age, “single use” means “tried or not.” This means that people who tried drugs, it became in Portugal the least due to decriminalization. (79, 80)

Decriminalization of drugs has led Portugal to European leaders in terms of drug safety.

Stopping to label drug addicts as criminals, the authorities significantly increased the number of those who voluntarily choose treatment.

And money for treatment was safely left – because they stopped spending on useless police chase and trials over drug addicts.

Instead of spending on the “whip”, the Portuguese authorities decided to spend money on the “carrot” – the development of substitution programs and rehabilitation centers. And the result did not keep itself waiting.

UNODC World Drug Report 2016

From the drug overdose in Portugal at the moment in the year, 3 people per million adults die – one of the lowest rates in Europe. (In Russia, about 100 thousand people a year die from an overdose, that is, more than a thousand people per million adults). (81, 82)

An indirect confirmation of the success of decriminalization is that now, 15 years after the adoption of this reasonable decision, not a single Portuguese politician in pursuit of votes has stuttered on the topic of a return to past force-based anti-drug practices. People need to try to heal, not plant for their habits.

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