This post is in direct response to a post made by @blaineb about Oregon's decriminalization of small amounts of meth, cocaine, and heroin.
Website referenced in picture: http://www.drugpolicy.org/
The decriminalization of drugs such as meth, cocaine, and heroin is a VERY small start. It won't change the stigma around people who do them. The everyday picture people create in their heads of somebody who does drugs like these needs to change. It can only be changed by the FULL decriminalization of all substances like what was done in Portugal. Addicts are all seen as criminals rather than people who need help.
The fact that these drugs are illegal in the first place doesn't change how many people do them. There will be people who do them anyway. So with decriminalization, the number of people doing these drugs won't change by much. The war on drugs has only done bad. It's ruined lives and torn families apart. Drug addicts are thought of as lesser beings but we all have the ability to change that.
I encourage everybody out there to do your research! Feel free to leave any thoughts you have or links to research articles in the comments section. It'd be greatly appreciated. Let's have a conversation!