I thought this was a really interesting article, though I doubt such a measure would have the same effect in the US.
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In the face of a growing number of deaths and cases of HIV linked to drug abuse, the Portuguese government in 2001 tried a new tack to get a handle on the problem—it decriminalized the use and possession of heroin, cocaine, marijuana, LSD and other illicit street drugs. The theory: focusing on treatment and prevention instead of jailing users would decrease the number of deaths and infections.
Five years later, the number of deaths from street drug overdoses dropped from around 400 to 290 annually, and the number of new HIV cases caused by using dirty needles to inject heroin, cocaine and other illegal substances plummeted from nearly 1,400 in 2000 to about 400 in 2006, according to a report released recently by the Cato Institute, a Washington, D.C, libertarian think tank.
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As long as drugs remain illegal, dealers will attempt to get people hooked so they have more customers. Take the profit away and they will go out of business.
As long as drugs remain illegal, addicts will commit crimes to pay for their habits.
As long as drugs remain illegal, there will be strife in the countries where the drugs are produced.
Prohibition should have taught us that our current policies would not work.
If we pumped as much money into rehabilitation as we now spend on prohibition, our jails would not be full of people on drug-related charges.
But, something different should at least be attempted and I am also wondering if drugs should be decriminalized, but only if it would mean more law enforcement to prevent a lot of the danger to non-drug users.
Great article..
~ Point Fairies
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