public health

In 2001, Portugal implemented a groundbreaking policy that decriminalized personal possession of drugs, while maintaining criminal penalties for drug trafficking.

Amidst record-breaking overdose death rates in the United States, what lessons can we learn from Portugal as we seek to curb overdose rates and build a comprehensive approach to addiction centred in public health?

The theme of the Congress — A World in Turmoil: Opportunities to Focus on the Public’s Health — reflects our commitment, as the global health community, to work together in and outside of our respective fields to promote health equity and to build a more sustainable and just future.