Does Portugal Have The Answer To Stopping Drug Overdose Deaths?
Feb 20, 2024
auto_awesome
Journalist Brian Mann explores Portugal's successful model of decriminalizing drugs and providing addiction services, which has led to a drastic drop in overdose deaths. Contrasting the US approach, Portugal treats addiction as a health issue, not a crime. Could this approach help the US combat its opioid epidemic?
Treating addiction as an illness, not a crime, can significantly reduce overdose deaths by prioritizing healthcare over criminalization.
Police in Portugal act as allies, guiding drug users to treatment instead of arresting them, contributing to a healthcare-focused model.
Deep dives
Portugal's Approach to Drug Policy: A Radical Shift
Portugal has successfully tackled its drug crisis by taking a radically different approach to drug policy. Unlike the United States, Portugal has decriminalized small amounts of drugs and prioritized healthcare over criminalization. By publicly funding addiction services and providing free drug treatment programs, Portugal has significantly reduced overdose deaths. People in Portugal are 45 times less likely to die from overdoses compared to the US. This demonstrates that treating addiction as an illness, rather than a crime, can save lives and provide better recovery opportunities.
The Role of Police in Portugal's Drug Policy
One key element of Portugal's drug policy is the role of the police. Instead of arresting drug users, Portuguese police are trained to counsel and guide people towards addiction treatment. This shift from a punitive approach to a healthcare-focused model has contributed to the success of Portugal's drug policy. The police in Portugal are seen as allies instead of adversaries, and their involvement in addiction counseling sessions has helped reduce drug-related crime and open-air drug markets.
Implementing Portugal's Approach in the United States
While Portugal's drug policy has shown promising results, implementing a similar approach in the United States faces challenges. The cultural differences between the two countries, lack of support networks, and the need for a more aggressive approach to arrest and direct drug users into treatment are factors that complicate adopting the Portugal model in the US. However, some cities in the US have started experimenting with aspects of the Portugal model, focusing on harm reduction, treatment, and decriminalization. The success of these efforts hinges on improved access to quality treatment programs and a shift away from traditional punitive measures.
Brian Mann covers the U-S opioid and fentanyl crisis for NPR. That means he talks to a lot of people struggling with addiction. Again and again, he's heard stories of people who have succumbed to their addiction — last year 112, 000 — more than ever in history.
But when Mann traveled to Portugal to report on that country's model for dealing with the opioid crisis, he heard a very different story. Overdose deaths in Portugal are extremely rare.
The country has taken a radically different approach to drugs – decriminalizing small amounts and publicly funding addiction services – including sites where people can use drugs like crack and heroin.
Portugal treats addiction as an illness rather than a crime. No one has to pay for addiction care, and no one scrambles to navigate a poorly regulated recovery system. Could Portugal's approach help the U-S fight its opioid epidemic?
For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.