DEA forgets student in cell he has to drink his own piss and do meth to stay alive

In the cell, the detainee told authorities he found a white powdery substance, which he took, the DEA statement said.

Later testing revealed the substance was methamphetamine.

Just wikid the portugal drugs laws and actually use of illegal drugs has gone up and drug related deaths are exactly the same.

Observations

There is no reliable information about drug use, injecting behaviour or addiction treatment in Portugal before 2001, when general population surveys commenced. The only information about drug use before that time was the indicators on lifetime prevalence amongst youth, collected as part of the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD).

Thorough studies on how the various efforts have been implemented have not been conducted. Thus, a causal effect between strategy efforts and these developments cannot be firmly established.[8] There are, however, statistical indicators that suggest the following correlations between the drug strategy and the following developments, from July 2001 up to 2007:

• Increased uptake of treatment.[8]
• Reduction in HIV diagnoses amongst drug users by 17%[13]
• Reduction in drug related deaths, although this reduction has decreased in later years, and the number of drug related deaths is now almost on the same level as before the Drug strategy was implemented.[8][13] However, this may be accounted for by improvement in measurement practices, which includes a doubling of toxicological autopsies now being performed, meaning that more drugs related deaths are likely to be recorded.[14]
• Reported lifetime use of illicit drugs increased from 7.8% to 12%, lifetime use of cannabis increased from 7.6% to 11.7%, cocaine from 0.9% to 1.9%, ecstasy from 0.7% to 1.3%, and heroin from 0.7% to 1.1%[13] It has been proposed that this effect may have been related to the candor of interviewees, who may have been inclined to answer more truthfully due to a reduction in the stigma associated with drug use.[14] Statistical trends in neighboring Spain and Italy during the same period also suggested an unclear relation between decriminalization and increased drug use, comparatively.[14]
• Drug use among adolescents and "problematic" users declined.[14]
• Drug-related criminal justice workloads decreased, while the amount of drugs seized increased in quantity.[14]
• Decreased street value of most illicit drugs, some significantly.[14]

In Portugal, recreational use of cannabis is forbidden by law; also the medicinal use is not yet officially recognized (there are a debate and some law projects in the Portuguese Parliament). Portugal signed all the UN conventions on narcotics and psychotropic to date. With the 2001 decriminalization bill, the consumer is now regarded as a patient and not as a criminal (having the amount usually used for ten days of personal use is not a punishible crime) but repression persists. One can be sent to a dissuasion committee and have a talk or must pay a fee. According to libertarian think tank the Cato Institute, illegal drug use among Portuguese teenagers declined after 2001, and 45 percent of the country's heroin addicts sought medical treatment. But critics of the policy, such as the Association for a Drug-Free Portugal, say overall consumption of drugs in the country has actually risen by 4.2 percent since 2001 and claim the benefits of decriminalization are being "over-egged."

• Increased uptake of treatment.[8]

ok

• Reduction in HIV diagnoses amongst drug users by 17%[13]
  

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• Reduction in drug related deaths, although this reduction has decreased in later years, and the number of drug related deaths is now almost on the same level as before the Drug strategy was implemented.[8][13] However, this may be accounted for by improvement in measurement practices, which includes a doubling of toxicological autopsies now being performed, meaning that more drugs related deaths are likely to be recorded.[14]

so the amount of deaths reduces or at worst remains constant yet our detection methods are significantly better and efforts doubled. sounds like a + 1 to me. don't forget the end of drug related VIOLENCE (aka gangbangers killing each other, cops and innocents) that full legalization would bring.

• Reported lifetime use of illicit drugs increased from 7.8% to 12%, lifetime use of cannabis increased from 7.6% to 11.7%, cocaine from 0.9% to 1.9%, ecstasy from 0.7% to 1.3%, and heroin from 0.7% to 1.1%[13] It has been proposed that this effect may have been related to the candor of interviewees, who may have been inclined to answer more truthfully due to a reduction in the stigma associated with drug use.[14] Statistical trends in neighboring Spain and Italy during the same period also suggested an unclear relation between decriminalization and increased drug use, comparatively.[14]

so people are admitting their drug habits more now, there isn't an increase in use. if you really want to push it and say there is (there isn't) well those numbers are miniscule anyways.

• Drug use among adolescents and "problematic" users declined.[14]

ok

• Drug-related criminal justice workloads decreased, while the amount of drugs seized increased in quantity.[14]

ok

• Decreased street value of most illicit drugs, some significantly.[14]

ok

jesus "bud", looks like you posted an article that very clearly proves the insanity of the war on drugs. did you even read what you posted?