Portugal Legalises Drug Use

Posted by FoM on July 07, 2000 at 17:35:40 PT Rolling back the drugs laws  Source: BBC Europe  The Portuguese Government has voted to decriminalise the consumption of illegal drugs such as cannabis and heroin. Drug users will now be treated as sick people in need of medical help. Previously, drug users and those caught in possession of small amounts of banned drugs for personal use faced up to a year's imprisonment. The sale and trafficking of illegal drugs remain crimes. The idea is to get away from punishment towards treatment says Carlos Borges. Under the new law police will report drug takers to special local authority commissions which will ensure addicts seek treatment. "The idea is to get away from punishment towards treatment," government spokesman Carlos Borges told Reuters news agency. The ruling Socialist Party, which is one seat short of an outright parliamentary majority, was backed in the vote by the Communist Party and other left-of-centre parties. Referendum Call: The main conservative opposition party, the Social Democrats, had urged the government to call a referendum on the proposed new law. Prime Minister Antonio Guterres rejected the referendum idea on the grounds that the change being put forward was not sufficiently sweeping to merit a national vote. A significant proportion of prisoners in Portugal's jails are there for drug-related offences, but the number of people sentenced simply for possession or consumption is very low. "It would not be more than a couple of dozen," said one government official. Portugal becomes the third member of the European Union, after Spain and Italy, to decriminalise the consumption and possession of small quantities of drugs. Direct Link To Article On The BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/europe/newsid_823000/823257.stm Drugs: A Global Business: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/newsid_774000/774301.stm The Decriminalisation Debate: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/newsid_783000/783079.stm Click Here For a Guide To The World's Illegal Drugs Business: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/in_depth/world/2000/drugs_trade/default.stm NewsHawk: Jordan Web Posted: Friday, 7 July, 2000, 12:04 GMT 13:04 UK Copyright: British Broadcasting Corporation Home    Comment    Email    Register    Recent Comments    Help

*Greens and the Drug War. Worldwide. Green Party candidates, positions, platforms, etc.. Concerning the Drug War, cannabis, marijuana, etc..
http://www.angelfire.com/rnb/y/greens.htm


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Comment #6 posted by Kanabys on July 10, 2000 at 08:21:02 PT

Rock Bottom

I have always said that someone who is lost, must hit Rock Bottom before they can start to rebuild. This analogy fits the US perfectly.

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Comment #5 posted by CongressmanSuet on July 08, 2000 at 11:16:21 PT:

"And I think to myself.....,

what a wonderful world" Ah, the great diversity that makes up humanity. In China we execute them, in Portugal we treat them as a health problem, in Holland we leave them alone, and in Amerika we usurp big chunks of their lives, all in the name of protecting children. And now we go after them with military force in Columbia! Im afraid the only positive change, maybe, will come when we are totally involved ala Vietnam. Maybe a few thousand body bags will help, and maybe not. This thing has gotton too big, to many little piggies feeding at the trough. We cant keep drugs out of maximum security prisons, but we are going to try and seal our borders in an attempt to stop the flow. Insanity, thy name is Amerika!
"Total destruction, only solution"


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Comment #4 posted by kaptinemo on July 08, 2000 at 10:25:49 PT:

More than just common sense

You have to ask yourself: why those three countries? Here's a few answers for you. Something to think about:

All three of those countries have paid the terrible price that comes with flirting with fascism. All three are close to nations (like Morocco) where the illicit drug traffic is a very large part of their local economies. And, finally, all three nations mentioned, despite the enormous gains they've made economically since the bad old colonial days, are still rather poor. They simply cannot *afford* a US style DrugWar replete with helicopters and heavily armed goon squads.

Nor would they tolerate it, having had that kind of thing happen before, remember?

The further you are away from Washington DC, the more rational the drug policies seem to get. Which leads one to think that the madness that is underpinning the DrugWar and seemingly infecting its' proponents is a contagious disease.

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Comment #3 posted by dddd on July 08, 2000 at 06:14:55 PT

memories

I'm with Ganj,,,,,..Quaaludes,,,,they sure were nice and deluxe.....those were the days....dddd

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Comment #2 posted by Dr. Ganj on July 07, 2000 at 20:10:30 PT

What a Victory!

Holy cow! This is HUGE! Just look at all this action taking place this year.
My main goal in life is live long enough to see all drugs decriminalized. A health issue it is. A criminal one it is not. It looks like we just might see total reform very soon.
Hey, maybe I can finally get some Quaaludes? :-)

Dr. Ganj

• http://www.acidtrip.com

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