Dr. Joao Goulao, national drug co-ordinator for Portugal

In the 1980s and 90s, heroin was Portugal’s public enemy No. 1 — and now it’s not. What changed is simple: the country decriminalized drugs. So, as Canadians await Ottawa’s plan to legalize, regulate and restrict marijuana, what can we learn from Portugal? Dr. Joao Goulao, Portugal’s drug czar, is speaking at of a national conference on the future of Canada’s drug policy in Toronto Friday. He spoke to the Star on the lessons of decriminalization.

What has happened in Portugal since possession of illegal drugs was decriminalized in 2001?

We had a devastating situation back in the mid-1990s with a huge level of HIV and Hepatitis C infection among intravenous drug users. So we changed our system and looked at those using drugs not as criminals but as addicts. We decriminalized all illicit drugs from heroin to cocaine.

How does the system work?

If police catch someone doing cocaine, for example, the person is issued a summons to appear before the “Commission for the Dissuasion of Drug Addiction”. You are evaluated by a social worker, a psychiatrist and an attorney. They look at the history of your consumption. Are you an occasional or recreational user, or are you an addict? How is your family support? Then you are offered treatment.

It’s not compulsory. But you are registered in a system and tracked if you are caught again using drugs. You may, in some cases, be issued a fine.

What has been the impact?

One of the most impressive indicators today is the decrease in new infection rates of HIV and Hep C among IV drug users. We’ve also had a decrease in drug overdoses, from 94 in 2008 to 33 in 2014.

Do you attribute this to decriminalization?

No. It’s multifactorial. The results we’ve had are thanks to a complete package of policies that focus on treatment, prevention, harm reduction, reintegrating drug addicts into society, offering methadone treatment and other therapies.

Any change in legal framework must have behind it an increased availability for treatment and intervention to help users. Changing the framework alone doesn’t lead us to any kind of improvement.

Do people agree to treatment?

Yes. In the 1980s, the No. 1 public enemy in our society was heroin. Today, heroin has faded and we have more people seeking help for programs related to marijuana addiction. The biggest group seeking treatment are people addicted to alcohol. The next biggest category is marijuana.

There is a broad consensus in our country about our approach. It is not controversial.

Canada and the U.S. have a widespread problem with the abuse of prescription drugs such as fentanyl and others. Is that going on in Europe?

No. We don’t have a problem with opioid addiction. We do prescribe opioids, but very strictly. We don’t have an imported black market of synthetic opioids such as fentanyl.

The prescription rules must be carefully evaluated in other jurisdictions.

Has your approach allowed police to target dealers and traffickers?

Yes, the police have improved their efficiency in terms of arresting large-scale traffickers.

Once they got rid of the small fish, with whom they used to spend a lot of energy and time on, they could address the criminal organizations. More drugs have been seized.

Has marijuana use gone up since Portugal decriminalized it?

No. While cannabis is by far the most common illicit drug, the number of users has remained stable. In Portugal, we see a delay in the age of first-time users as well.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

Is Portugal a model for Canada?

We have been a social laboratory for a few years. We are happy to inspire other countries, especially in Europe. But we are now happy to learn from the experiences of other countries as they reform drug laws.

It is our turn to follow the experiments taking place in other parts of the world.