Ten Years After Decriminalization, Drug Abuse Down by Half in Portugal. Drug warriors often contend that drug use would skyrocket if we were to legalize or decriminalize drugs in the United States.
Fortunately, we have a real-world example of the actual effects of ending the violent, expensive War on Drugs and replacing it with a system of treatment for problem users and addicts. Ten years ago, Portugal decriminalized all drugs. Every Step Counts- A film on working with Injecting Drug Users.