Does Portugal Have The Answer To Stopping Drug Overdose Deaths?
b'Brian Mann covers the U-S opioid and fentanyl crisis for NPR. That means he talks to a lot of people struggling with addiction. Again and again, he\'s heard stories of people who have succumbed to their addiction \\u2014 last year 112, 000 \\u2014 more than ever in history.
But when Mann traveled to Portugal to report on that country\'s model for dealing with the opioid crisis, he heard a very different story. Overdose deaths in Portugal are extremely rare.
The country has taken a radically different approach to drugs \\u2013 decriminalizing small amounts and publicly funding addiction services \\u2013 including sites where people can use drugs like crack and heroin.
Portugal treats addiction as an illness rather than a crime. No one has to pay for addiction care, and no one scrambles to navigate a poorly regulated recovery system. Could Portugal\'s approach help the U-S fight its opioid epidemic?
For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
Email us at considerthis@npr.org.
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
NPR Privacy Policy'