The success of drug decriminalization in Portugal

by Glenn Greenwald - It's been seven years since that country decriminalized all drugs. What lessons are there for American drug policy debates?

The counter-productive effects of drug criminalization are at least as evident now for the U.S. as they were for pre-decriminalization Portugal. Beyond one's ideological beliefs regarding the legitimacy of criminalization, drug policy should be determined by objective, empirical assessments of what works and what does not work.
It's now been more than seven years since Portugal decriminalized all drugs, and
dispassionately examining the effects of that decision provides a unique opportunity to assess questions of drug policy in the most rational and empirical manner possible.

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