What's the best way to discredit the argument that drug decriminalization will lead to increased drug use and drug tourism? Produce an example that proves the opposite.

In 2001, Portugal abolished criminal penalties for drug possession and instead began offering treatment to people found with heroin, cocaine, and other addictive substances. The decision to decriminalize drug possession came out of findings from a commission convened by the Portuguese government to analyze the country's drug problem, one of the worst in Europe at the time.

The commission came to two important conclusions, which, as it turns out, are two universal truths about drug prohibition: 1) rather than deterring potential drug users, the threat of prison time makes users less likely to seek treatment, and 2) locking someone up is much costlier that offering them treatment.

The Cato Institute in April issued a report assessing the impact of the Portuguese drug law reforms. The report found that following the reforms, the rates of new HIV cases and drug-related deaths in Portugal dropped dramatically, and more than twice as many people sought treatment for drug addiction as did prior to decriminalization. The rate of drug use has remained the same, or perhaps even decreased.

You can watch Glenn Greenwald, the author of the Cato report, explain his findings in more detail in this video from Reason.tv:

What's remarkable to me about the Portuguese model is that the reforms occurred in a nation that is socially conservative on most issues. Holland's liberal drug laws are less surprising considering the progressive leanings of its citizens, but Portugal is not a country known for pushing the envelope. What allowed the reforms to move forward was a willingness by the Portuguese government to look closely at credible, fact-based research and to trust the science behind it.

The drug policy reform movement in the United States has the advantage of having successful European models to back up its stance that people should not be sent to jail for what they choose to put in their bodies. Portugal's success in curbing its drug problem through decriminalization is the strongest evidence yet that when drug use becomes a problem, the solution is providing treatment, not locking people up.

Posted by Maureen Brookes @ 2:45 PM