Which European country has the most liberal drug laws? (Hint: It's not the Netherland

[spidermom]

Came across this and its very interesting....We're talking about those who are found with enough drugs for personal use only!!!!!!!!!

Drugs in Portugal: Did Decriminalization Work? - TIME

However it seems to be working...I've never heard Portugal mentioned in these debates before...if nowt else they're reduction in H1V rates are impressive all on their own...Now its NOT decriminalisation...its the offer of proper counselling and detox....of course the numbers seeking treatment to come off drugs has doubled!!!....S unlikely to be introduced any time soon...after all it would cost money to treat addicts...and we can't afford that!

[Seos]

Suggests it would be cheaper then enforcing, the trouble for us is, it's another good policy could be held back by the need for the border (assuming there was political will and public approval) with NI to be open and un-enforced. So I think it will be a case of 'only if the UK do it too' or when we get a united Ireland.
I am against the idea of freedom to harm oneself so I'm normally pro-prohibition in these debates, but this policy sounds really good and it sounds like it didn't remove/change the social view/stigma of drugs being bad in Portugal.

[hugh jarce]

http://www.politics.ie/health-social...ml#post1562744

[caveman]

Suggests it would be cheaper then enforcing, the trouble for us is, it's another good policy could be held back by the need for the border (assuming there was political will and public approval) with NI to be open and un-enforced. So I think it will be a case of 'only if the UK do it too' or when we get a united Ireland.
I am against the idea of freedom to harm oneself so I'm normally pro-prohibition in these debates, but this policy sounds really good and it sounds like it didn't remove/change the social view/stigma of drugs being bad in Portugal.

Does Portugal not have any land borders??

[DaveSlats]

That policy has been in place in northern German states for years. And also in Holland. In neither case was it written down, but it was understood by both the police and drug treatment services. People were never done for posession - or even open Marijuana use but users of hard druges were referred into treatment services.

I lived in Bremen twenty years ago, and it was certainly the case there and also in Hamburg.

In both cases, and in Holland, the biggest problem was drug tourism. In the dutch case it was literally drug tourism, with people going to Holland specifically to get stoned. Fine for Amsterdam with weekenders coming from the UK, Ireland etc. For small boder towns it means a town full of stoners crossing over just to score, have a couple of spliffs, and drive back to Belgium, Germany or even Denmark.

In Germany, many hard drug users moved from less tolerant states in the south to the northern states. Which not only caused hard drug use to increase but also put a strain on the individual-state funded services.

However, they have persevered with it. I am not sure of the exact situation there now.

[Seos]

Does Portugal not have any land borders??

None with an entity it wants to reunite with, no.

We do not want any enforcement of the border with Northern Ireland because we want there to be "an island economy" to make reunification at some future date easier and also because people travel between the two jurisdictions on a daily basis. This is the same reason we won't join Schengen without the UK.

[ivnryn]

What difference does a land border make here anyway? Are you concerned that the UK would enforce it if we legalised drugs here?

[Seos]

What difference does a land border make here anyway? Are you concerned that the UK would enforce it if we legalised drugs here?

yes that's exactly what I'm concerned about.

[JCSkinner]

All this amounts to is more of the 'we shouldn't do anything that the Brits don't do first' policy that has failed this state from day one.
We SHOULD end our failed war on drugs and move towards a Portuguese policy of harm reduction and crime reduction immediately. So should Britain and other states. But what the Brits do should not define our reactions in this regard.

[Seos]

All this amounts to is more of the 'we shouldn't do anything that the Brits don't do first' policy that has failed this state from day one.
We SHOULD end our failed war on drugs and move towards a Portuguese policy of harm reduction and crime reduction immediately. So should Britain and other states. But what the Brits do should not define our reactions in this regard.

Ok so you want the border to be an actual border then, and the cost that entails? I agree that it's terrible that we have to wait for the Brits in things like this, but in order to keep this Island quasi-united we have to only be quasi-independent, when we get true unity we will be truly independent.(or as independent as a nation can be anyway)