Bora GurelJul 10, 2023
Dan Gillmor

Washington Post story casting major doubt on Portugal's drug legalization quotes mostly police and -- as is essentially always the case in drugs coverage -- fails to ask, much less attempt to answer, this question:

Is the cost to society -- law enforcement, racism, corruption, and more -- higher as a result of making drugs illegal than the problems listed in this piece of making them legal?

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/once-hailed-for-decriminalizing-drugs-portugal-is-now-having-doubts/ar-AA1dxFl3

The War on (Some) Drugs is worse, but Big Journalism won't tell you that.

MSN

Jul 10, 2023 at 7:19amWeb
Show threadDan GillmorJul 10, 2023
I very much hope @radleybalko will look hard at this Post piece and do the analysis the news organization refused to do.
Show threadClaudius LinkJul 10, 2023

@dangillmor @radleybalko

Thank you for the hint

It's pretty strange, drug use was decriminalised in 2001 but the article speaks more or less exclusively of the years after 2019, IT doesn't compare the numbers with other countries or takes other events (e.g. Corona) into account. Jumping timeframes and references.

Even the "12 year high" sound like very selective. Funny enough it is the success of the decriminalisation can possibly play a part in the increase. E.g, if there is a reduction any increase will look much bigger even when the absolute number stays lower than before.

Just shoddy 🤬​

Show threadSérgio CarvalhoJul 10, 2023
@dangillmor Even with lack of funding, the numbers are better than any repressive approach. The important take here is that rehabilitation is key, and that requires teams on the ground, which requires funding. Don't expect decriminalization to solve the drug issue per se. Work on the whole package: decriminalization plus health service commitment to rehabilitation.
Show threadCloakerJul 10, 2023
@sergio @dangillmor necessary investment instead of treating people like criminals (and actually making them criminals) for shit reasons
Show threadFinley DanielsJul 10, 2023
@dangillmor At the end of the article the reporter finally bothers to cite some experts instead of cops, and, of course, the actual issue is a lack of funding and a disinterested police force who see drug addicts as lost causes. It's rich conservative neighborhood associations and police who are eager to blame the otherwise, especially pre-pandemic, very successful drug laws.
Show threadDCrockerJul 10, 2023
@dangillmor The serious challenge in considering drug laws is that it requires looking at more than direct drug use. Criminalizing drugs produces a broad, dangerous, expensive criminal ecosystem. Presumably, decriminalizing drugs should affect that ecosystem. Has it had an effect in Portugal? The article says nothing about this.
Show threadDan GillmorJul 11, 2023
@dcrocker Journalism isn't interested in looking honestly at this issue, and never has been. One reason is that for a long time broadcasters were paid by the government for promoting the War on (Some) Drugs. But the main reason is that journalists don't do context, and with rare exceptions never have.
Show threadbgcJul 10, 2023
@dangillmor Some points to consider:
1 - Porto's city mayor is a very conservative right wing person which serves economic interests and morals more than the people that live in Porto.
2 - Ive seen many that before that law went to prison as users and returned as hardened criminals.
3 - Police force here is plagued with facists, and many are part of the facist party. There are many cases of open police racism as well.
Show threadbgcJul 10, 2023
@dangillmor (cont)
I saw the efforts at the time to educate people about drug usage, and to not be seen as criminals. That had a positive impact. Many of my childhood friends would not have a good life nowadays if not for the decriminalization. they would have been imprisoned due to their drug use (both light and hard drugs). They have since thrived and are clean.
Show threadbgcJul 10, 2023

@dangillmor (cont)

Portugal's problem is that tax payers money is sent to private companies, and they are defunding health care in Portugal. Drug use is a public health issue and that needs the government to assist in the health issues related to drug usage. They just don't care.

We must also see that Portugal was hit very hard in the ~2008 IMF intervention as well as recently with the COVID and the inflation, which might have caused spikes in drug use and homelessness.