Portugal had a serious drug problem — and in 2001 they tried something unusual to solve it. Now, nine years later, there are some very interesting results.

• Their solution costs TONS less than the conventional approach — e.g. America’s vote-buying “War on Drugs”
• The Portugal decriminalization approach has reduced drug usage and drug-related violence
• They demonstrated how CONTROL doesn’t jibe with human nature, it just raises prices and changes the incentive structure
• A conclusion that’s not hard to draw, is, an ongoing War On Drugs is a great excuse to self-perpetuate without much evidence of any real gain

My favorite quote:

Judging by every metric, decriminalization in Portugal has been a resounding success.

Another:

Forty years later, the concern about drugs and drug problems is, if anything, magnified, intensified.

Seems like it’s easier to let people discourage themselves, than to try and force them at gunpoint. Weird.