Hardly anyone dies from a drug overdose in Portugal.
According to a recent article in the Washington Post, hardly anyone dies from a drug overdose in Portugal. Why? After decriminalizing the use of all drugs in 2001, and deciding to treat possession and use of small quantities of drugs as a health – not a criminal – issue, some interesting things happened. When addicts were provided with housing, job and skills training, and rehab instead of jail, rates of drug use went down with young people, new HIV cases went way down, and drug overdose deaths dropped to the second lowest in Europe. Drugs are still illegal, but getting caught with a small amount is not. Something to consider? Just saying. Why hardly anyone dies from a drug overdose in Portugal