"Drug Decriminalization in Portugal" - Has it worked?

Drug Decriminalization in Portugal - Online Policy Forum, Cato Institute.

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Friday, April 3, 2009 - 12:00 PM EDT (1600h UDT "Zulu" Time)

From the Cato Institute Website:

Featuring Glenn Greenwald, Attorney and Best-selling Author; with comments by Peter Reuter, Department of Criminology, University of Maryland; moderated by Tim Lynch, Director, Project on Criminal Justice, Cato Institute.

The Cato Institute
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Go to this page at the above time to watch the event live.

In 2001, Portugal began a remarkable policy experiment, decriminalizing all drugs, including cocaine and heroin. Some predicted disastrous results—that drug addiction rates would soar and the country would become a haven for "drug tourists." Now that several years have passed, policy experts can study the results. In a new paper for the Cato Institute, attorney and author Glenn Greenwald closely examines the Portugal experiment and concludes that the doomsayers were wrong. There is now a widespread consensus in Portugal that decriminalization has been a success. The debate in Portugal has shifted rather dramatically to minor adjustments in the existing arrangement. There is no real debate about whether drugs should once again be criminalized. Join us for a discussion about Glenn Greenwald's field research in Portugal and what lessons his findings may hold for drug policies in other countries.

[You can] watch this forum live online at Friday, April 3, 2009 at 12 [noon Eastern (Toronto, London, ON) time].