Norway will become the second country in the world where the use and possession of anything from cocaine to heroin will not be a criminal offense.

As the U.S. government tightens drug legalization policy, a consensus is developing in Europe. Norway — run by a coalition of right wing parties — is decriminalizing all drug use and possession following the successful Portuguese model.

Despite efforts for over a decade to make drug-use safe in Norway, the Scandinavian country has one of the highest overdose mortality rates in Europe. With around 9,000 high risk heroin users in Norway, many find themselves living in and out of jail. By treating drug use as a health issue, rather than a criminal one, Norway hopes to bring drug users into the healthcare system so they can get the treatment they were not able to before.

VICE News spoke with one heroin addict Lill Casson who's lucky to be alive — she's been addicted since childhood.