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Portugal decriminalized the possession of all drugs for personal use in 2001, and their situation has actually changed for the better.

http://www.tdpf.org.uk/blog/drug-decriminalisation-portugal-...

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note that decriminalization != legalization

There's still a black market for selling drugs, but drug users can't face jail time and have a much easier time getting help for addiction

Sure but its still a step closer than criminalization.

Note that U.S. "legalization" != legalization either, since federal drug laws still apply.

The only 'problem' now are the 'drug' dealers on so many corners of downtown Lisbon who sell fake drugs to tourists. They come up in your face and try to sell to you a few times per day and it's really annoying. Now, I spot them from far away and already make the no signal with my index finger w/o looking at them, but this doesn't always work. Once I was way in the back of a restaurant but with a clear view of the front door/street. One such dealer stopped at the entrance and pointed to his nose (to mimick snorting) until I shook my head so he'd go away. Since they sell fake drugs (basically to tourists but also they try with locals), the police can't do anything.

A minor problem, all in all, considering what has changed here regarding decriminalization, but thought I'd share.

Similar things have happened in Amsterdam for decades. They will go away as soon as the rest of Europe follows suit with decriminalization.

This is a problem with the decriminalisation route - production and distribution are still in the black market.

I'm not saying that full legalisation of anything and everything would necessarily be better, but...

The portuguese experiment has been a huge success in terms of harm reduction, but probably less so in terms of discouraging or removing criminal activity.

A variation on this theme occurs in most major cities I've visited though, whether it's fake designer sunglasses, candy, demo CDs, or bootleg DVDs. I suspect this has less to do with decriminalization and more to do with earning some quick cash.

It's both what's being offered and the frequency of it. Regardless, unemployment is high here so the quick cash argument is also valid.

If you legalize use in the US but keep production and distribution illegal, while it would probably help drug abusers get treatment, wouldn't this only feed more money to the cartels?

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