Drugs in Portugal: Did Decriminalization Work?

Name: Arwen Chen(49712057)
Reaction Article #5
Date: 05/29/2009


Drugs in Portugal: Did Decriminalization Work?

Reaction

It is great that Portugal officially abolishes all criminal penalties for personal possession of drugs and, and the decriminalization appears to work. Nevertheless, despite the statistics seeming going optimistic, I am greatly concerned that it is just facially going well but can not last for long. Just as Peter Reuter notes, a professor of criminology and public policy at the University of Maryland, the cyclical nature of drug epidemics — which tends to occur no matter what policies are in place — may account for the declines in heroin use and deaths.
Apart from that, a policy applying to one country may probably not apply to another. That is, not every country fit the same policy or law alike. Therefore, just as Kleiman put, director of the drug policy analysis program at UCLA, I don’t think Portugal is a realistic model for the US, either, because of differences in and culture between two countries.
After reading this article, what comes into my mind and worth speculating is – whether severe prohibition or offering therapy is more efficient? In my opinion, when something is against me, it would only provoke of my human nature of fighting against, and further, occupying it. As a result, chances are that it would only do the same to the drugos and drug dealers. On the other hand, I can help but question – does the human nature cling to the good forever? How many people are there still preserve the good nature after being polluted by this cruel society? Sometimes at the beginning people are forced to do things that violate social ethics, in order to make a living. But most of time, they lose the very good nature, at the end. (283)