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Zach Hoisington
Mrs. Jennifer Huyghe
Honors English 10
22 April 2013
The Effect of Drug Decriminalization in Portugal
Twelve years ago on March 27th the Portuguese government made a decision that could
have ruined the countrys economy and sent it into a downward spiral of crime. Spiegel
International Online, an Internet website used to relay worldwide news, discusses the effect of
drug decriminalization in Portugal. It is important to realize that decriminalization is not
legalization. Decriminalization makes possession of approximately a ten-day supply of
marijuana, cocaine, heroin, speed, or meth a misdemeanor charge, on par with a parking
violation. Overall, experts say this decriminalization has greatly improved the Portuguese
community.
In 1974, the fifty-year reign of a Portuguese dictator came to an end. Immediately after,
the drugs began to flow into the country. This problem was partially solved by the partial
constitutionality of drugs. One effect of the authorization is the decrease in the countrys crime.
Another effect is the decrease of young adults, age thirteen to twenty-four, getting into drugs.
Unfortunately, this is coupled with the escalation of adult users. However, adults who are
beginning to use drugs are multiplying everywhere, especially in Europe.
An interesting follow-up of the change in law was that the amount of drug addicts
undergoing rehabilitation has significantly risen. The people who are using drugs at last realize
that it is something that should be frowned upon and is hurting their health overall. If this is a
coincidence, it must be one in a million. Humans have always retained a will to fight the

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power, but when there is no reason to rebel, why bother? The decriminalization caused more
addicts to undergo rehab and hopefully get their life sorted out before it is too late.
The most glaring consequence of the drug decriminalization is the reduced number of
HIV cases throughout Portugal. HIV is spread almost exponentially through syringes, used to
inject narcotics to induce euphoria. According to Joo Goulo, a family physician, They shot up
on the street, and they died on the street. The current number of HIV cases coming through the
door of the clinics has greatly decreased, which is fantastic. This reduction can be attributed to
the lack of concern of being caught with drugs. When there is there no hurry, people will not try
and rush and hide, making it less likely for addicts to share needles out of haste.
Experts say the drug reparation in Portugal was a commendable idea, and the facts
definitely support it. The increased number of rehab patients, decreased number of teen users,
and the decreased number of HIV cases is a satisfying change brought about by the
decriminalization. Portugal was a forerunner in the idea of the inability to completely eradicate
the use of drugs within the countrys borders. Instead, Portugal focused on making drugs less
desirable to the public. According to the cold, hard facts, the drug reform in Portugal is working
outstandingly well and shows great progress of the groundbreaking reforms yet to come.

Hollersen, Wiebke. "Evaluating Drug Decriminalization in Portugal 12 Years Later." Evaluating

Drug Decriminalization in Portugal 12 Years Later. Spiegel Online, 21 Apr. 2013. Web.
27 Mar. 2013. <http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/evaluating-drugdecriminalization-in-portugal-12-years-later-a-891060.html>.