Main content

Drugs policy: The UK versus Portugal

In the UK, you can get up to seven years in prison for possession of Class A drugs. But according to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, more than a third of drug overdoses in Europe are recorded here. Portugal has decriminalised drugs, so if you get caught using, you won't be sent to prison or get a criminal record. Instead, the punishment is most often information about addiction - or treatment. But has it made a difference?

Release date:

Duration:

2 minutes

This clip is from