The Portuguese are NOT having second thoughts on the matter.
There is a poorly sourced, vague article on the Washington Post.
I've just read this article.
It contains two "criticisms".
First Porto's well connected mayor, Rui Moreira, and his people, saying that the problem is out of control. It very likely is, in Porto. I live there and it's kind of shit since the pandemic.
The second one (and in my view the only one that matters) is by the architect of the program Joao Goulao.
"João Goulão — head of Portugal’s national institute on drug use and the architect of decriminalization — admitted to the local press in December that “what we have today no longer serves as an example to anyone.” Rather than fault the policy, however, he blames a lack of funding.
After years of economic crisis, Portugal decentralized its drug oversight operation in 2012. A funding drop from 76 million euros ($82.7 million) to 16 million euros ($17.4 million) forced Portugal’s main institution to outsource work previously done by the state to nonprofit groups, including the street teams that engage with people who use drugs."
So yeah here's the thing.
No one is having second thoughts about the program, they've just massively defunded it to the point its architect says it barely works, and the Porto mayor got to complain about it to the Washington Post, likely because he has a really good PR company.
Rui Moreira is not part of any major political party.
No major politician is ever quoted in the article.
No data is shown on the topic showing that the Portuguese population is turning against the program.
So the statement that "The Portuguese are having second thoughts on the matter" remains completely unsourced.
Funding of a program is a problem but how funding explains this?
The number of Portuguese adults who reported prior use of illicit adult drugs rose from 7.8% in 2001 to 12.8% in 2022 — still below European averages but a significant rise nonetheless. Overdose rates now stand at a 12-year high and have doubled in Lisbon since 2019. Crime, often seen as at least loosely related to illegal drug addiction, rose 14% just from 2021 to 2022. Sewage samples of cocaine and ketamine rank among the highest in Europe (with weekend spikes) and drug encampments have appeared along with a European rarity: private security forces.
"still below European averages" is the only thing that matters here.
If the decriminalisation doesn't lead to increased drug usage vs its neighbours, what's the problem exactly?
Also, funding was cut like 65-70%. Any program that loses 65-70% of funding will face issues. That seems self explanatory.
No one said decriminalisation would decrease drug usage, just that it would keep it in check while avoiding - building more jails - criminalising the population - and keeping infectious diseases in check ie HIV, which was a huge reduction.
So what is it exactly that bothers you about these stats? That drug usage didn't go away? I don't believe the program was sold as doing that at all.
The idea was never that we would reduce drug usage. We were just told that the problem wouldn't become significantly worse than our neighbours, which it didn't.
> "still below European averages" is the only thing that matters here.
I don't think it's the only thing that matters. If I would be Portuguese I would like to know the reason for "Sewage samples of cocaine and ketamine rank among the highest in Europe (with weekend spikes) and drug encampments have appeared along with a European rarity: private security forces." that is highest in Europe and trends upwards.
Great that we’ve established you’re not Portuguese, so you are likely talking about the societal structure of a country you haven't visited.
I have no idea who thinks private security is a rarity in Europe. They exist in every European country I can remember.
Seriously perhaps try and be more sceptical of mass media.
Cocaine and ketamine measurements being “among the highest in Europe” continues to make my point. They are not the highest or 2x or 3x higher, which is what a lot of naysayers said would happen. They’re just high but within European levels. Nothing exceptional.
The difference being that Portugal has never engaged in mass incarceration of drug users, or the construction of a police apparatus that would cost 10x the cost of the current program to run so they could chase after drug addicts. Other countries did. And what do they have to show for it? Nothing. Same usage levels as Portugal, which again all naysayers said was on its way to becoming a new Sodom.
Turns out criminalisation makes virtually no difference in usage. The implications of this are more interesting than most comments here about it.
The Portuguese are NOT having second thoughts on the matter.
There is a poorly sourced, vague article on the Washington Post.
I've just read this article.
It contains two "criticisms".
First Porto's well connected mayor, Rui Moreira, and his people, saying that the problem is out of control. It very likely is, in Porto. I live there and it's kind of shit since the pandemic.
The second one (and in my view the only one that matters) is by the architect of the program Joao Goulao.
"João Goulão — head of Portugal’s national institute on drug use and the architect of decriminalization — admitted to the local press in December that “what we have today no longer serves as an example to anyone.” Rather than fault the policy, however, he blames a lack of funding.
After years of economic crisis, Portugal decentralized its drug oversight operation in 2012. A funding drop from 76 million euros ($82.7 million) to 16 million euros ($17.4 million) forced Portugal’s main institution to outsource work previously done by the state to nonprofit groups, including the street teams that engage with people who use drugs."
So yeah here's the thing.
No one is having second thoughts about the program, they've just massively defunded it to the point its architect says it barely works, and the Porto mayor got to complain about it to the Washington Post, likely because he has a really good PR company.
Rui Moreira is not part of any major political party.
No major politician is ever quoted in the article.
No data is shown on the topic showing that the Portuguese population is turning against the program.
So the statement that "The Portuguese are having second thoughts on the matter" remains completely unsourced.