Some evidence is available on the effects of Portugal's decriminalization of drugs, which began in 2001.

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Decriminalization would reduce the bloated U.S. prison population since drug users could no longer be sent to jail.

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In Portugal, problem drug use is way, way down thanks to decriminalization coupled with a hyper-focus on treatment.

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His resignation in June after some internal troubles at the MPP caused concern among proponents of pot decriminalization.

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The new law will take into consideration the decriminalization of press offences.

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He has a number of dour predictions that I am skeptical of, but he is absolutely right that simple decriminalization will likely not be so simple.

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The poll also didn't ask about Cuomo's push for a law to provide state tuition assistance to college-bound illegal immigrants, and the decriminalization of public possession of small amounts of marijuana.

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Cardoso said the group called for only the decriminalization of marijuana and not other illicit drugs because "you have to start somewhere" and it would have been unrealistic to ask the same for all drugs, EFE said.

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But Peter Kellner of the UK's YouGov polling agency said that opposition to gay rights legislation tended to be forgotten as soon as it became law, citing the examples of the UK's 1967 decriminalization of homosexuality and the changing of the law in 2000 to equalize the age of consent for straight and gay sex to 16.

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