In 2001, Portugal made a revolutionary decision when it became the first country to decriminalise drug possession and consumption.

Usually, when a country sets an example of successful policy, others follow. However, when it comes to drugs, Portugal’s success is largely ignored.

Yet, if we look at Portugal, we see that problematic drug use over the past fifteen years has fallen dramatically — in 2001 there were 100,000 heroin addicts, by 2015 that figure had halved.

Alongside that, there have been large drops in hepatitis rates, overdose deaths, drug-related crime and incarceration. The most dramatic fall of all has been in HIV rates: before decriminalisation, there were around 1,000 diagnoses per year, by 2012 there were only 56.

While Portugal has made huge steps forward — no longer can you be arrested for possessing drugs for personal use — the country has not gone far enough.