Dear Editor:
Portugal’s drug policy rests on three pillars: one, that there’s no such thing as a soft or hard drug, only healthy and unhealthy relationships with drugs; two, that an individual’s unhealthy relationship with drugs often conceals frayed relationships with loved ones, with the world around them, and with themselves; and three, that the eradication of all drugs is an impossible goal.
The only way to stop the massacre resultant from opioid addiction is to provide pristine, clean product to use, provided by the licensed manufacturer, that has a guaranteed strength and quality so that our users don’t fall prey to tainted, foul concoctions coming in from foreign shores and being purchased on the street.
Let’s work towards adopting Portugal’s hugely successful drug policy which has seen a drop in deaths, addiction, communicable disease and waste of lives. Let’s discard our outdated bigotry and realize that all persons are of value and then treat all accordingly. We will then get rid of the dealer and we will protect the addict. And, according to the economic reporting from Portugal, it will end up costing us less.
Sure this is radical. But then, so are the statistics compiled from the unnecessary death toll of our children, our friends, our family members, our neighbours and, just maybe, ourselves.
Joy Lippai,
Arthur