TightWind is written by Kyle Baxter. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

After decriminalizing all drug use in 2001, Portugal’s drug abuse has dropped by half:

The number of addicts considered “problematic” — those who repeatedly use “hard” drugs and intravenous users — had fallen by half since the early 1990s, when the figure was estimated at around 100,000 people, Goulao said.

Infections among intravenous users and drug-related crimes have dropped significantly as well.

Portugal’s policy is to provide drug addicts with treatment rather than put them in prison. Our country would be better off with a similar policy.