The evolution of anti-drug laws

treatment for drug users and addicts in Brazil and in Portugal

Abstract

With the enactment of the Drug Law, Law no 11,343/2006, Brazil established the proposal of treating addicts and users with more dignity, seeking to treat rather than punish them. In 2000, Portugal, also concerned with the dignity of drug addicts and users, showed a more innovative attitude than that of Brazil, decriminalizing the use of small quantities of drugs. In this context, this reflection compares recent legislation in the two countries, especially regarding differentiating between drug users/addicts and drug dealers and the way their respective treatment. Despite legal changes in Brazil, public health programs that deal with the drug problems in that country remain incipient. The experience of Portugal, then, can provide important elements in designing more effective policies that take into consideration national peculiarities and the multi-dimensionality of the drug phenomenon in Brazil