Interactive: Harm Reduction Goes Global

How a once-radical idea is becoming the norm in country after country.

This story is part of a collection called Transcending Judgement: Stories about taking care of everyone, no matter their life circumstances. Read more here. Also in this collection by author Carlyn Zwarenstein: Portugal’s Wildly Successful Decriminalization Experiment.

Carlyn Zwarenstein

Carlyn Zwarenstein is the author of Opium Eater: the New Confessions, a book about opioid painkillers and pain. She writes about drug policy, evidence in medicine, and social determinants of health. Carlyn is working on her second book, which looks at the concept of dependence and what people need to thrive. www.carlynzwarenstein.com @CarlynZwaren

Portugal’s Wildly Successful Decriminalization Experiment

Carlyn Zwarenstein August 24, 2019 9 min read

By decriminalizing even “hard” drugs like heroin and cocaine, Portugal drove down HIV rates and overdose deaths—and proved beyond a doubt that harm reduction works.

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