weblog #18 Drugs in Portugal: Did Decriminalization Work?

In Portugal, the government decriminalizes the possession of drugs, and the rate of drug use among teenagers decreased surprisingly. On the other side, the US has the strictest laws in western countries. In some of the states, there are even the harshest penalties for drug possession and sales in the world. However, at the same time, America has the highest rates of drugs in the world. I think it may be part of the humanity. The stricter government is, the more violence of the law there are. People are just searching for the excitement of breaking the law or the feeling of doing something bad. Once something bad is decriminalized, it is not considered a bad thing, and then there will be no excitement when doing it. That is why Portugal can have the rate of drug use and possession declined.
However, can other kind of crime be decriminalized, such as murder, theft, or robbery? That can be a great topic in a debate court. Moreover, what if nothing is banned? Isn’t it the same of anarchism? Maybe people would say that it is a step back to the past instead of advancement. How to strike a balance between the two kinds of policies is a serious, controversial, and debate-worthy issue.