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How to Win a War on Drugs

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RisingWorld

3 views • Sep 24, 2017

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How to Win a War on Drugs
Even so, Portugal’s drug mortality rate is the lowest in Western Europe — one-tenth the rate of Britain or Denmark —
and about one-fiftieth the latest number for the U. S.
I came to Portugal to talk with drug dealers, users
and public health experts because this nation has become a model for a drug policy that is not only compassionate but also effective.
The World Health Organization and American Public Health Association have both praised decriminalization
and a public health focus, as has the Global Commission on Drug Policy.
“We were facing a devastating situation, so we had nothing to lose,” recalled João Castel-Branco Goulão, a public health expert
and the architect of the policy (“our national hero,” as one Portuguese cabinet minister told me).
In contrast, Portugal undertook a monumental experiment: It decriminalized the use of all drugs in 2001, even heroin
and cocaine, and unleashed a major public health campaign to tackle addiction.
Seeing Mario, his blood spattered on the steps from his constant injections, tottering off to get more drugs, it was clear
that the Portuguese model isn’t as effective as we might hope — but it occurred to me that in America, Mario might well be dead.

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