Ten years ago Portugal decided to end the war on narcotics, opting to decriminalize drug use and treat abusers as patients instead of criminals. The experiment is being touted as a resounding success, and needs to be replicated elsewhere everywhere.
According to health experts, the number of “problematic addicts” in Portugal has fallen by half since the early 1990s. As well, the nation has seen a “spectacular” reduction in the number of infections among intravenous users and a significant drop in drug-related crimes.
See! Prohibition has never shown results like these.
Just ask the escalating number of families in Mexico mourning their dead while under constant threat. Seeing the blatant failures firsthand, it’s no wonder Latin America is poised to follow Portugal’s lead and finally abolish the war on drugs.
Forget the old wives tales about drugs. They aren’t some bogeyman we can just scare off with guns and soldiers. Instead, let’s behave like sensible people and look for an approach to the problem that is proving itself a success. It’s time we give legalization a try.