Again, I question whether removing consequences from drug use incentivizes people to quit, and assert that for many people, having real consequences can be the catalyst to make healthy changes. I am speaking from experience. Of course there are many people in the world and I'm not claiming everyone is the same.
I looked up info on Portugal and this is what I found:
> The reality is that Portugal’s drug situation has improved significantly in several key areas... However, such improvements are not solely the result of the decriminalization policy; Portugal’s shift towards a more health-centered approach to drugs, as well as wider health and social policy changes, are equally, if not more, responsible for the positive changes observed. Drawing on the most up-to-date evidence, this briefing clarifies the extent of Portugal’s achievement, and debunks some of the erroneous claims made about the country’s innovative approach to drugs.
> Portugal decriminalized the personal possession of all drugs in 2001. This means that, while it is no longer a criminal offence to possess drugs for personal use, it is still an administrative violation, punishable by penalties such as fines or community service.
So it seems that there are certainly indicators that decriminalization has certain positive outcomes, but it's not entirely due to decriminalization, and as they allege may be more impacted by changes to social health policies and perspectives. And further, they have not completely removed consequence from drug use. There are still civil penalties and other consequences.
To me that strikes a sort of balance and seems preferable to cart-blanche decriminalization.
> There are still civil penalties and other consequences.
It looks like that is true for Oregon as well. They just downgraded misdemeanor drug possessions to infractions and downgraded felony possession to misdemeanor.
I looked up info on Portugal and this is what I found:
> The reality is that Portugal’s drug situation has improved significantly in several key areas... However, such improvements are not solely the result of the decriminalization policy; Portugal’s shift towards a more health-centered approach to drugs, as well as wider health and social policy changes, are equally, if not more, responsible for the positive changes observed. Drawing on the most up-to-date evidence, this briefing clarifies the extent of Portugal’s achievement, and debunks some of the erroneous claims made about the country’s innovative approach to drugs.
> Portugal decriminalized the personal possession of all drugs in 2001. This means that, while it is no longer a criminal offence to possess drugs for personal use, it is still an administrative violation, punishable by penalties such as fines or community service.
So it seems that there are certainly indicators that decriminalization has certain positive outcomes, but it's not entirely due to decriminalization, and as they allege may be more impacted by changes to social health policies and perspectives. And further, they have not completely removed consequence from drug use. There are still civil penalties and other consequences.
To me that strikes a sort of balance and seems preferable to cart-blanche decriminalization.
https://transformdrugs.org/drug-decriminalisation-in-portuga...