How Portugal eased its opioid epidemic, while U.S. drug deaths skyrocketed
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https://www.npr.org/2024/02/24/1230188789/portugal-drug-overdose-opioid-treatment
https://www.npr.org/2024/02/24/1230188789/portugal-drug-overdose-opioid-treatment
As far as I remember, yeah, that's essentially what happened. At first, the government and the police saw drug addicts as criminals in the eyes of the law, and tried to go after them, which is, as far as I know, what the US and a lot of other countries do.