Portugal’s progressive drug policies

Portugal’s progressive drug policies
Portugal’s progressive drug policies

Portugal’s progressive drug policies

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Marijuana legalization in Washington and Colorado is uncharted territory for the U.S. and it’s unclear which direction other states will take. That’s similar to what happened in Portugal in 2001. The Portuguese didn’t legalize drugs, but they did decriminalize just about everything. Since then, possession of small amounts of drugs, like heroin or marijuana, gets you a fine and an offer for rehab if you need it. Dr. João Castel-Branco Goulão, general director of the Service Intervention in Addictive Behaviors and Dependencies (SICAD) and Portuguese national drug coordinator, tells us how the policies have been working. (PHOTO: Tiago drinks his daily dose of methadone in the infirmary of a treatment center in Lisbon, Portugal. Portugal decriminalized the use of all drugs in a groundbreaking law in 2000. AP Photo/Armando Franca)