The Portuguese Experiment: Did Legalizing Drugs Work?

Pop quiz: Which European country has the most liberal drug laws? Although its capital is notorious among stoners and college kids for marijuana haze–filled “coffee shops,” Holland has never actually legalized cannabis — the Dutch simply don’t enforce their laws against the shops. The correct answer is Portugal, which in 2001 became the first European country to officially abolish all criminal penalties for personal possession of drugs, including marijuana, cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine

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First dog Bo meets White House press corps

Bo the Portuguese water dog made his White House debut under cloudy skies Tuesday afternoon, spending several minutes taking his new family on a lively romp over the South Lawn with frequent stops for hearty sniffs at his new surroundings. Bo landed on all four feet at his fourth home in his six short months of life, fulfilling President Obama’s campaign promise to get his daughters a dog in return for all the time he spent on the road during the long presidential fight. “He’s a star.

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