Uses and Abuses of Drug Decriminalization in Portugal

In 2001, Portugal decriminalized the acquisition, possession, and use of small quantities of all psychoactive drugs. The significance of this legislation has been misunderstood. Decriminalization did not trigger dramatic changes in drug‐related behavior because, as an analysis of Portugal's predecriminalization laws and practices reveals, the reforms were more modest than suggested by the media attention they received. Portugal illustrates the shortcomings of before‐and‐after analysis because, as is often the case, the de jure legal change largely codified de facto practices. In the years before the law's passage, less than 1 percent of those incarcerated for a drug offense had been convicted of use. Surprisingly, the change in law regarding use appears associated with a marked reduction in drug trafficker sanctioning. While the number of arrests for trafficking changed little, the number of individuals convicted and imprisoned for trafficking since 2001 has fallen nearly 50 percent.     

Why stalin? A national debate

He is also the codirector of the Wiener Library of Contemporary History in London. He is the author of major studies on terrorism, political movements, ideological trends, and cultural forms. His books include: Soviet Realities; Culture and Politics from Stalin to Gorbachev; America, Europe, and the Soviet Union;and The Political Psychology of Appeasement.He is also editor of European Peace Movements and the Future of the Western Alliance.