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In 2001, Portugal decriminalised the possession and use of all illicit drugs. It was a move designed to mitigate the country鈥檚 public health crisis, which at the time meant Portugal had one of the worst rates of overdose deaths in Europe, as well as the highest rate of HIV among drug users. Whilst drugs remained illegal, users did not receive a criminal record but were instead referred to rehabilitation and treatment programmes. It was an approach that proved so successful, that it has remained in place for a quarter of a century.

But just over 10 years after its introduction, Portugal鈥檚 drugs policy started to come under strain as the country鈥檚 economic crisis and subsequent austerity measures led to budget cuts for drug services. More recently the rising cost of living has diverted people鈥檚 attention from investment in this field. On top of this, the trafficking of cocaine and newer substances into the country along with changing demographics is putting decriminalisation under strain.

We are joined by Joana Teixeira, President of the Board of Directors, Institute for Addictive Behaviours and Dependencies (ICAD), Lisbon, Portugal; Lu铆s Mend茫o, Director General, Grupo de Ativistas em Tratamentos (GAT), Lisbon, Portugal;
Ant贸nio Leit茫o da Silva, Chief of Police, Braga, Portugal and Keith Humphreys, Esther Ting Memorial professor of psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University, California, USA.

Presenter: David Baker
Producer: Jill Collins
Technical producer: Toby James
Editor: Tom Bigwood

(Photo: Discarded syringes and drug paraphernalia. Credit: Andy Buchanan/AFP)