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”

From the March 23rd 2024 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

More from Europe

The Russian Army Attacked Kherson With Guided Bombs

Russian trainee pilots appear to be hunting Ukrainian civilians

Residents of Kherson are dodging murderous drones

The “Trumpnado”, a wave shaped like Donald Trump's profile, crushing a boat with a European flag.

Can the good ship Europe weather the Trumpnado?

Tossed by political storms, the continent must dodge a new threat


Demonstrators march, shouting slogans against tourists in Barcelona

Spain’s proposed house tax on foreigners will not fix its shortage

Pedro Sánchez will need the opposition’s help to increase supply


A French-sponsored Ukrainian army brigade has been badly botched

The scandal reveals serious weaknesses in Ukraine’s military command

A TV dramatisation of Mussolini’s life inflames Italy

With Giorgia Meloni in power, the fascist past is more relevant than ever

France’s new prime minister is trying to court the left

François Bayrou gambles with Emmanuel Macron’s economic legacy