This morning, Dr. João Goulão, the architect of Portugal’s ground-breaking national drug policies, met with local leaders, medical personnel, community advocates, and others at OSI-Baltimore’s offices to talk about decriminalization and prioritizing harm reduction and public health.
After Portugal decriminalized all drugs in 2001, its drug fatalities fell to one of the lowest levels in Europe. Learn more about Portugal’s experience in the Open Society Foundations report, “Drug Policy in Portugal: The Benefits of Legalizing Drug Use.”
Dr. Goulão was in town to speak at the annual Tuerk Conference at Baltimore’s Convention Center, hosted by OSI-Baltimore grantee the National Conference on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence. Scott Nolen, the director of OSI-Baltimore’s Addiction and Health Equity Program, led a workshop at the conference on “Health Disparities: The Impact of Barriers to Treatment for Minorities.”