Europe | From high to low

Drug decriminalisation in Europe may be slowing down

An increase in gang violence and open-air drug use is changing politicians’ minds

Boys smoke cannabis on Museum Square in Amsterdam
Photograph: Danilo Verpa/Folhapress
|AMSTERDAM and LISBON

“HASH? WEED? Cocaine?” In central Lisbon, even your grey-haired correspondent gets the pitch. The Vale de Alcântara, a valley housing a main road alongside a park, is strewn with garbage and drug paraphernalia. Dealers and users huddle in a strip of dilapidated buildings. Nearby is a government-run facility where they can get high safely. But it is often full, and some like it better outside.

This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “Second thoughts”

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From the March 23rd 2024 edition

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