The war on drugs seems to have failed … so now what?

Beginning today in New York, the United Nations General Assembly will meet to discuss the war on drugs. And we’ll probably be hearing a lot about Portugal where drug use has dropped dramatically ever since 2001.

“They have the lowest incidences of heroin overdose in the European Union and those numbers can be contributed directly to the change in policy,” said Hawaii State Representative Jarrett Keohokalole.

That change in Portugal policy 14 years ago was to end the war on drugs. And that’s why Rep. Keohokalole has been pushing for a bill to study whether Portugal’s system could be just what Hawaii needs.

“In the community that I represent, we have a huge problem particularly with methamphetamine,” Keohokalole said.

Portugal still locks up drug traffickers, but ordinary drug users go before what’s called a “dissuasion commission” which can provide treatment, impose a fine or do nothing. You can smoke pot, do crack, take cocaine, meth, heroin — and there’s no jail time, no criminal record, nothing to ruin your chances of getting a job. Today, drug use, drug deaths, and property crimes are all significantly lower in Portugal.

Which is why Rep. Keohokalole wants his state to study the idea.

“I’m coming in on the end of my first term, so we’ll see if my community let’s me back after trying to do this,” Keohokalole said.

I should mention that there was time when drug use in Portugal was zero. That was before 1974 when Portugal was under a dictatorship.

I suppose it could always try that again.

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