Drug Legalization In Portugal

Drug Legalization (drug decriminalization) in Portugal
In 1999, Portugal had the highest rate of HIV amongst injecting drug users in the European Union. Decriminalizing drug possession would openthe country to "drug tourists" and exacerbate Portugal's drug problem; the country had some of the highest levels of hard-drug use in Europe.
In 2001 Portugal became the first European country toofficially abolish all criminal penalties for personal possession of drugs, including marijuana, cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine. The new law maintained the status of illegality for using orpossessing any drug for personal use without authorization. Portugal became the European country with the most liberal drug laws.
After personal possession was decriminalized, illegal drug use among teensin Portugal declined and rates of new infections dropped, but legalizing drugs and making them more readily available would not have saved the life of thousands of other drug-related deaths eachyear, the number of people seeking treatment for drug addiction doubled.
Reports that between 2001 and 2006 in Portugal, rates of lifetime use of any illegal drug among seventh through ninth gradersfell from 14.1% to 10.6%; drug use in older teens also declined. The use among 16-to-18-year-olds fell from 2.5% to 1.8%. New HIV infections in drug users fell by 17% and deaths related to heroin andsimilar drugs were cut by more than half.
Some proposed ideas from full legalization would completely remove all forms of government control, to various forms of regulated legalization, where drugswould be legally available, but under a system of government control which might mean for instance:
* mandated labels with dosage and medical warnings,
* restrictions on advertising,
* agelimitations,
* restrictions on amount purchased at one time,
* requirements on the form in which certain drugs would be supplied,
* special user licenses to purchase particular drugs.