Law 30 of 2000, which came into effect a year later, brought about the decriminalisation of drug use and personal possession in Portugal. In 2001 a National Plan for the Fight Against Drugs and Drug Addiction was passed to regulate harm reduction activities. As part of this overall plan, the Commissions for the Dissuasion from Drug Abuse (CDTs) were created with the main objective to persuade people from consuming illegal substances. Recently their remit was enlarged to deal with addiction to legal substances (like alcohol and tobacco), and the latest national plan also encompasses other addictive behaviour (like gambling).
The CDT model operates according to the principle that treatment is preferrable to punishment. CDTs aim to:
The CDT model operates according to the principle that treatment is preferrable to punishment. CDTs aim to:
- prevent addiction and harm associated with problematic use
- inform and raise awareness
- debunk myths and false concepts
- direct towards treatment
- follow up/ensure treatment is completed.
It is important to bear in mind that consuming drugs in Portugal is still illegal. Nobody can be arrested if caught consuming, but can be punished in other ways, for example:- bans (e.g. from frequenting certain places or areas; from leaving the country)
- community service
- requirement to report regularly
- suspension of licences
- fines.
None of these punishments are administered by the Ministry of Justice and failure to comply with them is a civil, not a criminal breach.