Portugal spent two decades PREPARING to decriminalize/legalize all drugs by researching and investing in rehabilitation services. Not the for-profit rehabs we have in America, which are incentivized to keep you coming back... Portugal is also tiny compared to US as a whole. edit: You cannot treat drug addiction without treating trauma at the same time, or it will not work. Research shows this.
This sums it up. Vancouver just ended their decriminalized drug pilot program early because it was chaos to the city. These things dont happen overnight
Yes to your whole comment. Trauma is the underline root of most, if not all mental health and addiction. Its generational trauma as well. When a person gets treated for addiction, mental heal, and trauma at the same time they absolutely have a better chance of recovering. Even more of a chance of not relapsing when they find a program of recovery to help them on a daily. Treatment eventually ends, recovery is ongoing.
Almost like decriminalization of drugs doesn't work if you dont have a system with affordable healthcare, rehab and social programs that helps you turn your life around. Edit: Reading some of y'all comments makes me lose faith in humanity, America's problem with poverty, homelessness and drugs isn't the illness but it's the symptoms of a failing society. It's the symptoms of a society that kicks its people while they are already down, it's the symptoms of an education system where luck and family money is prioritized over hard work and potential. It's a symptom of a healthcare system where money is above saving lives, and where most working class people can't afford therapy or rehab (which they need after the hospital got them hooked on opioids). It's the symptoms of a society where most people don't care about each other's wellbeing out of sight, out of mind. Where your taxes are used to make the 1% richer, how can so many of you say you're patriots when you don't give a fuck about what's going on outside your little lake. This isn't an age, race, sex, sexuality or political ideology problem, this is purely a problem between the people vs the elite and it won't change until the American people wake up and stop fighting Internally.
A Portland politician literally admitted they were supposed to do all this extra stuff once it was decriminalized. But they only decriminalized. They should have followed through with the housing, addiction counseling, mental health and everything else they promised.
Imagine a world where decriminalization is paired with comprehensive social support. People could actually get the help they need instead of being shuffled through the criminal justice system. But why go for practical solutions when you can just leave people to fend for themselves? After all, who needs affordable healthcare and rehabilitation programs when you can just, you know, not get addicted in the first place? Simple! And let's not forget the social programs that help people turn their lives around. It's almost like having a safety net encourages people to rebuild their lives. But in some places, the idea of investing in people seems more radical than decriminalizing drugs itself. Because nothing says "we care" like throwing people into a maze with no exit. decriminalizing drugs without a support system? It’s like giving someone a parachute and then cutting all the strings. But hey, at least it looks good on paper!
Decriminalization didn't work in america because in american culture, black rappers and celebrities openly attest to how smoking and doing drugs will make you cool so when it becomes legal everyone wanna be cool. Your privileged @ss can vicitmize yourself as much as you want and blame healthcare but you can't pretend that your healthcare and social programs are the worst and countries that have it worse don't have zombie towns.
Yes, this. Also imo I’ve felt that it was a terrible decision to turn healthcare into a for-profit business model. Once our neighborhood doctors office’s turned into a business it changed everything. The general health of a society should not have a dollar sign attached to it.
Yup. We lack empathy for our people here. We only care just enough. We're used to the broken promises of politicians. It's all smoke and mirrors here and that's sad. If we truly care about our community we wouldn't have the issues like we have now.
I started doing drugs since my teenage, got addicted to cocaine. Spent my whole life fighting cocaine addiction. I suffered severe depression and mental disorder. Got diagnosed with OCD. Not until my wife recommended me to psilocybin mushrooms treatment. Psilocybin treatment saved my life honestly. 8 years totally clean. Never thought I would be saying this about mushrooms.
I love hearing great life changing stories like this. I want to become a mycologist because honestly mushrooms are the best form of medicine (most especially the psychedelic ones) There are so many people today used magic mushrooms to ween off of SSRI medication- its amazing! Years back i wrote an entire essay about psychedelics. they saved you from death buddy, lets be honest here.
Hey mates! Can you help with the source? I suffer severe anxiety, panic and depression and I usually take prescription medicine, but they don't always help. Where can I find those psilocybin mushrooms? I'm really interested in treating my mental health without Rxs. I live in Australia don't know much about these. I'm so glad they helped you. I can't wait to get them too. Really need a reliable source 🙏
Thanks for sharing your story. That's rough I sympathize. Save your health save your mind. Life is better without heroin, cocaine, alcohol and cigarettes. And you have more money in your pocket. God bless everyone who has rejected the devils intentions to be addicted to alcohol and cigarettes etc which can cause so much damage to health. I will pray for you all.
Societal Standards in Portugal are maintained. Using drugs is legalised, using drugs in public places, around children, whilst working etc is not acceptable. It’s no different than having alcohol legal but people still have societal expectations of when it’s appropriate. Legalising shouldn’t mean a free for all for people to do whatever they choose.
In the U.S., they prefer a more chaotic approach. Their strategy involves a blend of draconian laws, overcrowded prisons, and a thriving black market. It’s like a giant, nationwide game of "let’s see how badly we can mess this up." Why fix what’s broken when they can just keep adding more duct tape to it? Portugal has these pesky societal standards that make perfect sense-legalizing drugs but not allowing their use in inappropriate settings. Boring! In the States, they thrive on confusion and contradiction. They have legal alcohol, but public intoxication can land you in jail. Weed is legal in some states, but federally, it’s still a big no-no. They love keeping everyone on their toes! And then there’s the economic aspect. Think of all the jobs they’d lose in the prison-industrial complex if they followed Portugal’s lead. Imagine the horror of having fewer people incarcerated! Their economy thrives on the misery of others; why change that? So, while Portugal maintains their societal standards with a logical approach, the U.S. will keep doing what they do best: clinging to outdated policies, perpetuating confusion, and ensuring their justice system remains as convoluted as possible. Because if there’s one thing Americans excel at, it’s complicating the simple.
As a Portuguese i must say the way our government handled the drug issue in the 90s pretty much saved the country from becoming a giant skidrow. There's things that can be improved but they did well
Portugal SHOULD be a model for Greece. The countries have faces similar stuggles in similar times frames but Portugal is if not thriving, doing very well, and Greece is collapsing. Honestly may be a case where the EU takes an unprecedented step and steps in.
I remember watching a documentary on it years ago, was very interesting. One thing though, they were still going after dealers. Do you think it would be better to legalize and regulate the sale of the drugs?
@@hannahb.375 honestly i spent 8months in athens in 2023 and i must say the governament has no control over anything. The city is just in decay and full of drug addicts and crime is raising
@@snaz27 even when its legal there Will always be black market. But offering actual help to People, educanting instead of just making them addicts is the key
What's your point??? The government hook kindergartners and continued it for 12 years and the. Threw them away.and people like you are the problem not the addict
@@lifeoflennie2443 I didn’t say if they did crimes. But we don’t need police for every little thing. You wimps would have never made it in Wild West days lol protect yourself and who cares what they do not like there killing anyone. People in other countries don’t even have food they sure as hell wouldn’t cry just cause people aren’t living life how they would choose
This channel has improved a lot. I began watching specifically for the subjects being covered, but had a hard time with the interviewers approach. I think you’ve done well in humbling yourself and becoming less of a “wtf” moment seeker, and more of a genuine deep dive guide. Keep it up, Tyler. This is my favorite video of yours yet.
I still think he sucks. He really does not care about anyone he's interviewing, he's just trying to get content. Admittedly he gets quite a lot of good content, which is why I keep coming here. But he is not a good person.
Overdosed 18 times & had endocarditis (had to get heart and lung surgery) and even after that it still didn’t stop me. But now I’m going on three years clean and I honestly never thought I could do it. I pray for every other addict out there, if I can do it, you can too❤
I’m so glad you are recovering! My friend had endocarditis and didn’t get in recovery, until she kicked in the hospital. She has been in a nursing home, since age 43 or 44. She’s 51 now. She’s in multiple organ failure. I am 6 years off substances, but my health is not good, either. I am on a liquid diet indefinitely, and need a feeding tube but I’m still fighting to get one approved. I can’t swallow, food can’t leave me stomach well, and I can only pass waste by gravity. Dope put a near complete stop to my esophageal, GI (and below) motility, and doctors don’t know if it can possibly come back. As far as public education goes, I hear a lot about ODs, but not nearly enough about spending 16 hours a day trying to eat and eliminate the waste. When I slip and eat something solid, I can’t move my body from being bed for a week, without excruciating pain and I’m weak all the time, because I can’t afford my prescribed diet. I get no assistance because i have to go to school and pay money to do so. Welfare says 3 month training program is allowed, max. I have vocational certificates, an AA and BA. I can’t work enough, until I’m a professional with some ability to set my own schedule, because I spend hours trying to get food through my body. I was put on opiates, after a skull fracture and 5 ruptured discs in my lower cervical spine. I have worked and tried my hardest, my whole life. I ended up self-medicating pain, because my doctor moved and no one was prescribing. But that led up to my disability, including all the prescription meds used properly. I need uncovered surgery, chiropractic and PT, not just drugs, and no full opiates, ever. That was all they would cover, plus 20 times less chiropractic than recommended.
I smoked heroine for 13years .and in that 13years I quit and relapsed 4 times this is the last time I quit .now I'm clean 4 years .I'm so glad I'm out of the life from hell .I thank my parents for standing with me through my time of coming clean 🙏🏻
Congrats and keep fighting the good fight! I only wish my childhood best friend had your courage and willpower against H instead of a battle lost. I admire people like yourself
It's heartbreaking to see how a system designed to help vulnerable people can be so effective, yet the support is taken away. Portugal’s approach really shows how a compassionate, health-based strategy can make a difference in people's lives. It’s a shame when such efforts are removed elsewhere, leaving those in need without proper care. What a great example Portugal sets for the world.
Functionally, the thought that came to mind after reaching the end of this is a combination of Amsterdam and Portugal philosophies. The reality of the situation is America doesn't see the benefit in either one. One simply isn't profitable, the other actually costs money to run. A massive paradigm shift would need to take place here on about every level... particularly with places such as Portland so clearly visible. Even if they picked up said combo, it would take a long time to clean it up. These other places are essentially unified in their approach... we have 51 different philosophies to wade through to make such a thing happen.
@@MadScientist267 Thank you for sharing your insights! I appreciate the comparison with Amsterdam and Portugal’s philosophies-it’s interesting to think about how their unified approaches allow for more streamlined solutions. You’re absolutely right that America’s decentralized model, with each state bringing its own policies and priorities, makes it challenging to adopt a cohesive philosophy nationwide. This is particularly visible with cities like Portland, where issues often feel more polarized because solutions don’t consistently apply across regions. A paradigm shift like this would indeed require a significant cultural and economic adjustment, one that likely wouldn’t be quick or cheap. I wonder, though, what you think might be the most practical first steps toward encouraging more collaborative policy changes in the U.S.? Maybe smaller, local initiatives that start to model what such approaches might look like on a larger scale?
I totally agree with you! I wish the USA would do the same thing. So many people are homeless and dying! It's not just the big cities either. It's everywhere! I've known way too many people that have died and I never lived in a big city! 😢😢😢😭😭😭
@@twilabillman2106 I’m so sorry to hear about the losses you’ve experienced-that’s absolutely heartbreaking. You’re right, homelessness and its devastating impact aren’t confined to just big cities; it’s everywhere, and it’s affecting so many lives. It’s so frustrating to see how much suffering could be alleviated if more countries adopted compassionate, health-centered approaches like Portugal’s. I really hope we see more progress in addressing this crisis in the U.S. soon-no one should be left without care or a safe place to call home. 💔 legalizing and regulating drugs can make such a difference. It ensures people know what they're taking and reduces the risks of contamination or overdose. Plus, it gives them a chance to recover and rebuild their lives after facing trauma, whether it’s from bullying, losing a job, or being stuck without housing. It’s such a compassionate step forward-helping people regain stability and dignity rather than punishing them for struggling.
Small thing you failed to mention: it is actually illegal to sleep on the streets of Holland. If police find you, they will immediately take you to a shelter.
They tell you to leave. They don't take you to a shelter. There aren't enough shelters for everybody. Only during the winter when it's freezing every homeless person can sleep somewhere inside. I live in Amsterdam. But if you're homeless and you really want help and a house you can get it!! But people have to show up and follow rules. Something a lot of addicts are not able to. But it's possible if you really want it!
As soon as the man said “it works because their are no profits to go after” I knew the possibility of it working in America was zero. NOTHING gets off the ground here unless someone can make money off of it.
...I really think you need to read up on what a non profit is... it doesn't mean everyone is a volunteer and no income is generated and people are not paid for their services
Otherwise is - Socialism & Comunism ... The hope is that drug crisis will lead to economic crisis, or political one, that's when "they" will really try to change something in US.
That's why Portugal got it right. They treated it as a health crisis rather than a criminal one. I am a recovering addict who found recovery in the Suboxone program.
@@gangoffour6690 Suboxone is giving someone who is struggling to cold turkey quit an out that can avoid overdosing and severe withdrawals in a controlled dose that can be stopped slowly over time while the individual is seeking further treatment. Abruptly quitting opiates can cause death and has a higher chance of relapse than a "slow, controlled quitting" with suboxone or methadone. So, while (yes) it is substituting one drug for another, the drug that is being substituted in is far safer.
@@gangoffour6690 Yeah, but with no psychoactive effects, rather just to keep the person from having withdrawal states, cramps, pains and mainly, to keep the person from searching for the "real deal"... it of course depends on their power of will
I liked the healthcare man who said, “It’s not a drug problem, it’s a people problem.” Thanks for this video. It shows that there are a lot of caring humans making a difference for others. There’s no magic-bullet solution for any epidemic.
The sanitation worker at 6:00 is a true man. Out in the rain working, helping clean the streets, probably being a street therapist of sorts. What a good man.
I LOVE the approach Amsterdam takes. Effective/clean/supportive/regulated and treating as an illness..which it truly is. I went through HORRIFIC trauna as a child/teenage girl,which then became adult trauma. I CHOSE to self medicate,and yes..in an ideal world i shouldn't have. But grief/trauma/no support,does insane things to one's mental health This documentary was a great insight
Absolutely. I have several family members still living in Appalachia and many of them battle addiction because of terrible jobs/job opportunities, bad infrastructure, having parents who were also addicts etc. it’s completely self medication combined with it being the only form of entertainment young teenagers have. It’s really sad and I’m so disconnected from them which also makes me sad. Very hard to watch someone go through and realize there are no avenues to help them. On top of that, my father who is basically the only one of his cousins who “got out” is really successful and has a very pull yourself up by your bootstraps mentality, because he did it. He does his best with my generation to house them and help pay for college, and he’s kind of taken it upon himself to save his family members he deems worthy I guess, BUT he’s very against most social welfare programs and stuff so I get two very different messages from his story.
I experienced the exact same thing. Back in early 2000’s when I sobered up there was ALOT MORE RESOURCES…. I went to treatment 4 times 5 th a charm. Now ….., it’s hard to go to treatment once !!!!!
I like the idea of being only allowed to smoke in your house we have rule here you can smoke just not on the streets but most dont care and including me i smoke sometimes but i do it in special places like me and my friends hate doing it infront of people as we do dont really want to disturb people when they are just taking a nice walk we mostly go to places where no one really comes especially not where kids hang around
@@hannahb.375Seems you do get 2 diff msgs. The "everybody can do it cuz I did it" is bullshit.. Well, of course, in reality most everyone can but we're not all built the same & we all come from diff levels/depths of trauma, mental illness. & nature & nurture.
@@killerkiser8541 some drug use is recreational. others use it to dull mental anguish. still others have real physical pain that doctors can't or don't know how to treat.
As someone who suffers with extreme severe anxiety I can totally relate to her. I would stop eating for days at a time as a punishment. I worry a lot about my life, everyone around me and pleasing everyone. It's absolutely crippling, so glad she got the help she needed, lovely young lady it's so sad that society has 1 in 3 people suffering mental health issues. I hope everyone seeks help
Can you help with the reliable source I would really appreciate it. Many people talk about how mushrooms and psychedelics treats anxiety, but nobody talks about where to get them. Very hard to get a reliable source here in Australia. Really need!
Yes, doctor Greg mushroom I have the same experience with anxiety, depression, PTSD and addiction and Mushrooms definitely made a huge huge difference to why am clean today.
The problem is you can't expect people to want to not do drugs unless life feels worth living. There needs to be good prospects and quality of life when sober, adequate healthcare for trauma. These are the root causes...
People will do drugs amyway. They don't need a justification, your life might be amazing and you can still want to and do drugs. When you have a terrible life, they just become really Addictive.
That is not the case for everyone. I was a fentanyl addict for the last few years and I never wanted to die. I just couldn't stop myself. I had everything to live for. Yes I've had trauma yes I've had bad things happen to me like everybody else in my life and I just used it for an excuse. But I never wanted to die ever. I never smoked fentanyl I've always snorted the blues and I've never OD'd even doing 20 of them a day I think it depends on how people ingest them because all of my friends who snort them have never OD'd but I have seen so many people that smoke them OD in seconds
@@terrikeentk e everyone is different and there are different factors that can lead to substance use disorder, such as yes, being miserable and poor quality of life, but also other predisposing factors such as trauma, psychiatric, neurological and neurodevelopmental disorders (75%+ of those with SUD have a comorbid mental condition of some kind), as well as genetic predisposing factors. trauma alone, a bad life alone, none of this ALONE leads to SUD. It is a combination of multiple complex factors.
You've GOT to have standards. You can't get drunk on the street, you can't drink too much and drive, you can't smoke indoors, yet for some god damn reason, you can inject yourself with recreationals in the street in America/Canada. I want more government control over this, not banning, standards enforcement. If you're the kind of person who leaves a needle on the floor, you need a flogging and to sort your life out, if you aren't competent enough to use a needle bin, you shouldn't be GIVEN A NEEDLE at all.
Exactly. Most based comment I've seen in a while. People need to take responsibility for themselves and stop making excuses. I especially agree on what you said about the needle, that is disgusting. Leaving a used needle on the ground should be punishable up to at least 5 years in prison, considering how dangerous those things can be. And police officers should be inspecting any known homeless encampments at least thrice a day to ensure they're following the law. We need to be more pragmatic on these people, and more harsh to those that refuse to take responsibility.
Most portuguese people are actually unaware that Portugal's drug consumption is decriminalized, it's just so well organized and none of this zombie walking on the streets.
Me and my boyfriend wanted go on holiday in Portugal but we change mind and decided go to another country not because of drugs decriminalisation we never knew this is exist in Portugal ❤
The Netherlands goes like this 🇳🇱: On January 1, 2023, there were an estimated 30.6 thousand homeless people. A year earlier this was still approximately 26.6 thousand. The research is based on 18 to 65 year olds. It ISN'T easy for the homeless people in the Netherlands (MOST are Dutch, born in the Netherlands!) to get shelter at all. There are only very few shelters from CBS and those few are only located in the big cities like Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Den Haag...Yes there are certain programs where homeless people could get help but these so called "systems" are broken and corrupted as can be, making it an almost impossible task to succeed! They don't treat these people their trauma's, so it's HIGHLY likely they will relapse. ONLY "therapy" to get off the substances and then just throwing them outside again WITHOUT FURTHER SUPPORT, will OF COURSE FAIL! Most CAN'T succeed. People please don't spread false information about this subject because it will harm a lot of people. Do your research first before you'll leave a comment on here. Due to the current inflation and governments, A LOT more people will become homeless. It could happen to anyone, especially those whom don't have any family/support system and even though people COULD get government benefits...that amount of money is NEVER sufficient to pay the lowest of the lowest monthly fixed charges/bills! The government benefits are less than half than the minimum income needed for the lowest monthly fixed bills!! Some will live in their car but that counts as homeless. Everyone whom doesn't have an address, is homeless. Much love 🙏🏻🫶🏼❤️ from the Netherlands.
The guy he interviewed who teared up when reflecting on the emotional aspect of this addiction problem is truly touching. If more people had such a heart of gold, what a great change we may be able to make collectively. Love is usually the best and only answer to such problems.
as a former addict (10 years sober this summer) it was refreshing to hear a addict in this interview say you basically have to stop saving these people. you Have to want to stop, for yourself. it’s the Only way to get out of the cycle. this was a great video thank you ❤
Buddy what ur doing is very good and i wish you all the best for your life ahead. But just a suggestion that i wanna share. Please dont label the clean period as 10 years 11 years instead say forever that will impact you phychologically and help you to be clean forever
Have always taken this channels stories with a big pinch of salt until now. This was actually done well, you didn't seem to show any bias and just went around asking the people of each community about their different countries approaches to this issue etc and I have to say good on you Tyler and team. You got my respect on this video. It really showed a maturing in attitude and a straight up raw and honest approach with no personal beliefs and bias twisting the narrative. Keep it up and you could really make a more long term and importantly respected career in journalism or whatever field you continue on into. Didn't take you seriously until now, but after this vid, I'm keeping an eye out to see how you continue on from here. The honest and "real" work is always so much more rewarding at the end of day and will always be better than the more sensational pieces that want drama and excitement first and facts later.
I was born in Portugal but grew up in Portland for most my childhood. One major cultural difference is that after HS, kids in Portland (and the US in general) often go to college or leave home in some capacity, while in Portugal they often live at home through college and until they are stable enough to move out and start their own families. I think this stability in transitioning from adolescence to adulthood helps decrease the chances that they turn to or get exposed to hard drugs to begin with. Meanwhile, in the US, many more 18,19, and 20 years olds are trying to figure things out on their own, often without any direction or parental guidance or the means to make ends meet. Plus, Portland already had an existing drug problem. Combine a city with a lot of drugs and a lot of higher-risk drug users and then eliminate drug laws…. Yes that’s a recipe for disaster
Yes! I agree. Plus academia will actually attack strong families, especially conservative ones. They are ridiculed, are forced to pretend that they are leftists, etc Family is everything for most cultures. The number one reason that the US is floundering is because families are no longer strong or healthy.
You make sense, for me , my parents are addicts and by 13 I was on my own, I became an addict and waisted all my 20s in prison. I started getting on my feet and made changes and learned valuable things in my 30s. I'm 40 and a very late bloomer in life. I'm a perfect example how your statement is so true.if I had that stability and positive environment until I got mature enough to live on my own, make a living, etc... I know the results definitely would have been different. But today I'm happy. I have a beautiful wife (for 14years) and 2 boys and I learned valuable things from my own experiences and way before I ever read your comment/reply, me and my wife Decided to encourage our boys to be on there feet with a solid foundation before they even think about moving on. At least I hope they listen. I hear alot of parents tell there kids "when your 18 your on your own"etc... and I always felt like 18 is too immature and too young for many responsibilities. (Not everyone,there is always exceptions, but for the most part) Like I also feel 16 is too young for someone to operate a motor vehicle (just my opinion) and where I'm from that's the minimum age for a driver's license. The way I think now and when I was a young man is wayyyyyyy different. It's like I'm 2 different people from then to now, but in the same body. But now much wiser. Sorry so much typing, your comment gave me a lot to say and I couldn't agree with you more
I was a public defender in the US for over 8 years, and one thing I learned is that the vast majority of addicts want to get better. They don't want to live the way they are living. Of course, most of the conversations were at the local jail. Clients would legitimately tell me about how they wanted to be sober when they get out, get a job, be better parents, etc. However, once they get out of jail (or prison), the resources just aren't there. If you go back to the same living situation you were in while you were an addict, it is only a matter of time before relapse. Treatment professionals often say you need to change your "people, places, and things" to be successful, and there is a lot of truth to that. However, that is easier said than done with the resources made available. I am not even mentioning the complicating factor that many addicts have underlying mental health issues that continue to go untreated so they continue to self-medicate. For-profit rehabs are not the solution, and we have closed many of our state hospital. It is a f**king mess here in the USA.
Not to mention people think when you get multiple years of sobriety under your belt, you never think positively about it again. Thats very not true. Some people the longer sober they are the more they romanticize it. And things like life circumstances change it drastically.
its unfortunate that people want to get better despite what some people in tyler's videos suggesting otherwise. However the solution (at least what Dennie Lahey has said) is free housing, non profit, financial support, psychiatric support, which is almost unamerican and will have too much backlash for it to exist in usa. There will be too many people saying that theyre "wasting tax dollars on junkies"
@@kylee2458 Citation needed, I think they just want to enjoy their lives in a different way then what's considered 'normal'. In case you didn't know, drugs feel really really good and I don't see how prioritizing that over a car payment, a mortgage, a career, ect isn't just as valid a way to live your life if you choose to. Personally, I'd 100% rather die on the street with a crippling addiction than waste away in a nursing home or in hospice just waiting to die while being miserable, alone, and forgotten. Like seriously if I got a cancer diagnosis I'd be on my way to Portland to have the absolute very best time possible with my time remaining and I don't see anything wrong with that, in fact it should be my right (in a free country.) Maybe the 9-5 grind just isn't for them, who says that's the 'right way' to live their life. Seriously, it's never been my experience that someone who wants help doesn't ask for it. It just seems to be the same thing that motivated the settlers to tell the First Nations People they weren't living their life Christian enough and needed to have their children taken away from them and sent to good Christian schools where they could learn to work in 'normal society' and get jobs.
I was a daily fentanyl user, 30 pills a day + Fetty powder on top of that. Addiction for 13 years. Only thing that got me to stop was when I went to prison for a crime I committed while fucked up. Was a MAJOR wake up call. Hate to say it, but they gotta realize their actions have consequences. Although, prison ain’t gonna solve everything. NOBODY is gonna get clean until they want to. It’s a very nuanced, tricky thing to try and solve unfortunately😕
Let me ask. This seems like a personal choice to get out of drug use, so do you think counseling/ rehab works too? Seems that even though users are told to stop, they continue to do until something really traumatic really happens to them.
This was really good. I’m about a quarter in and don’t know if you have an agenda or not. You’re just asking people what they experience and letting them voice what they believe from that experience. And I’m hearing a lot of compassion in their voices. This is like journalism. Great job.
Lmao he is a scumbag who is loosely considered a journalist after infamously getting into a beef with Mark Laita over who can better exploit a mentally and generically deficient family known as the Whittakers. Nothing more.
The politicians in Portugal that don’t want anarchy and chaos are probably in the majority. In Portland the overwhelming majority of Politicians WANT what is happening. They don’t want to stop it, they want to make it worse. heard about Pepellio 🐸? love it
You just contradicted yourself brother. They wanted them to be legal so they can control us in the end when America is a full dystopia . It's all an agenda
Never attribute to malice what can be attributed to stupidity. Whenever something bad happens people automatically assume it's some sort of conspiracy. The reality is that it's wrong to expect people who are good at politics to be good at governing. The two are completely separate skills. People assume politicians have total control, so whenever something goes bad, it must be malicious. For what purpose would the overwhelming majority of politicians want what is happening?
Portuguese person here, I'm currently 5:30 in to the video but I think the big difference between the results of Portugal's legislation Vs Portland's is down to the existence of a national health care system. In Portugal you don't just have state-run safe facilities and nurses doing rounds on the streets providing clean supplies (including drugs that have been tested and aren't cut with anything) but you also have free long term therapy with a psychologist that is trained specifically to do CBT focussed on addiction, free detox treatments and free inpatient facilities. Granted the inpatient facilities aren't free forever, but it's a start and outpatient care doesn't have an end date. When the government has a national health care system, it's not just up to the people to get clean, you have whole teams who's purpose is going out there and keep on reminding people that the government is here to help, not imprison and that it's not just decriminalisation, it's also an active system that seeks for the people who need help
I lived in Portland for the last 8 years. The man in the wheelchair said it best. These programs are only just beginning to do the right things. The questions definitely should point to city government on financial management, there are some severe issues. Along with ppb union issues that divide the community. Most people want decriminalization but are severely disappointed at how funds were spent to support it. Things like, cleaning up trash vs providing housing and counseling. Plus, there are definitely repeat abusers that should be jailed for things like public indecency, littering, public urination/defecation, rape,… selling laced drugs. Being able to do drugs shouldn’t mean making the bad choices you make while high legal… streets are unsafe for children, anyone, to walk around. everyone is wild on Pepellio 🐸 yeah
Yeah the thing i see over and over again is Portland didn't have any/enough treatment. Decriminalization in theory should work like repealing prohibition, but not when people can't get help to stop...
Decriminalization of drugs, of deviancy, and of crime is the reason why people are shutting down their businesses and abandoning leftist/Democrat cities.
I was a first responder for the homeless community in Portland, OR for 2 years (the street response the gentleman mentioned). I quit less than a year ago. I saw too many dead bodies, active crimes and...kids, under 9, selling fentanyl for their parents. Unfortunately, working on lots of dead bodies while their kids watched and hoped for better. I got too traumatized. Had to quit. The street response agency we worked for, we are bound by laws that prevent us from acting like police officers or fire and rescue. People hated us, but in reality we'd get threatened with being fired if we tried to use narcan or go hands on. This city, something is very WRONG
i went to new orleans back in the mid-90s. i was surprised at the number of homeless people i saw and how many were young kids. some only looked 10 or 12 years old, i hope that they have solved these issues. new orleans was a real experience. almost like visiting a foreign country, only no passport needed.
2014 I watched a young girl - 14-16 od and die on the trimet heading east towards Gresham … we tried to help and … didn’t matter. The thing that will never leave my mind about that instance was the first responders who showed up … and the med just shaking his head because he knew before he even checked that it was pointless and this was probably his 5th one this week
Downtown portland is some of the worst, I’ve seen a bunch of druggies nearby schools, once I saw some dude climb a fence after school hours to dump a bunch of needles on a slide. My mother has to go into Portland a lot for medical reasons, and she always carries a gun on her, never rolls down her windows, and locks the doors. Everyone who lives in Portland needs a dashcam or facecam for their cars. Thank god I live in the country.
Portugal has a different culture of support systems, communities, and commercialism. If you have more supportive families and resources, free healthcare, and housing opportunities; then of course you will have a different outcome than Portland.
And this all goes without saying more "fetty" is being shipped to Mexican cartels than Europe and being smuggled to a large population that the pharmaceutical industry got hooked off of pills over previous decades.
This was a terrific episode Tyler. Europe/The Netherlands delt with the epidemic of drugs with compassion and as a health issue, instead of a criminal issue. It was Beautiful to see the way these people in Amsterdam spoke about helping this people with what they need in their life and giving them the drugs they are addicted to for free, so that they weren't spending most of their time in search of the drug
Giving them free drugs? I can't even get any medicine to help w excruciating nerve pain because of people in my geographic location abusing them. Ri-damn-diculous We are fucking doomed!
This documentary almost made me cry. Ive been addicted to heroin for over 10 years and the stigma surrounding it is backbreaking. Most people wouldn't know looking at me as I have always been able to maintain a normal job, look somewhat put together and have achieved a lot, only recently after the umpteenth time of trying to get clean do i feel like i finally have a hold of it. This is a hellish way to live. I recently visited a major US city and saw homeless smoking off foil on a beautiful autumn day in front of a historical monument and the juxtaposition of the sad display of our nations resources to the historical monument in all its glory was jarring, but i felt blessed. I only hope for others to feel the same. ❤
The drug issue is multifaceted and there's no one-size-fits-all solution. But it's evident that pure decriminalization without adequate support and treatment systems in place can exacerbate the problem.
Agreed. Tyle's videos have shown this but it's easier for us to initially latch onto a one sized solution. Until we start to think about it a bit more deeply, that is.
@@xgamermudkip7154 Poverty is likely a contributing factor but even in the USA there are places with high poverty and low drug addiction. The same occurs overseas quite a bit so poverty itself isn't the biggest problem. Poverty might serve as a nexus for many other issues but that's an important difference.
@@latetotheparty7551 because those places have a stronger sense of community and their cultures place more emphasis on things like empathy and care for one another. the overall culture in America is too individualistic
Was an opiate addict for 6 years. Getting clean was the most difficult part of my addiction. In my area, there’s very few places to help. The place here does not accept female patients, surrounding areas are booked months out. Quitting cold is scary, the withdrawals are no joke. There’s no way to work during that I’d lose my job. I was spending $600a week on that trash, my savings was at a stand still, and I knew if I kept going I would have drained it. I’m 8 months clean, was the hardest thing I ever went through. I enjoy music again, I have motivation to do my hobbies and dance, i cry at sad things again, I didn’t notice the drug stealing all that from me.. dont even try that stuff for fun especially if you have depression or anxiety, because you will love it and it will not love you, it’ll rob you of everything that makes you you, its all you will care about.
Very well said. Irish addict here in a country that's overrun with drugs with a government that has completely turned a blind eye to this epidemic. Its absolutely horrible to watch our tiny island country turn into a lying,thieving zombie nation.
Thank you for making this video and spreading awareness around addiction. The way we treat drug addicts as a community here in America has never made sense to me. We’re so quick to incarcerate drug addicts, I feel that only sets one back rather than help any…
I kicked my fentanyl addiction 6 months ago. I am so thankful that I got to tell my daughter, Laken Hope Riley... The nursing student that was murdered back in February at UGA in Athens, Ga. Her death made national headlines and brought so many amazing people into my life. Had I not gotten clean before my little angel was taken from us, I would not be here today to tell my story. Knowing she is looking down on me has given me the strength and motivation to continue in my recovery. I hope she is proud of me and just wish she was still here to be a part of my journey.
My addiction started with a prescription of Percocet 10yrs ago, then went to the street to get my pills after the doc cut me off. Things went sideways when a "friend" (sarcasm) introduced me to heroin. I spent the last 3yrs on fentanyl and did not miss a single day because I was so terrified of going through detox. Finally, broken and tired of living my life as a slave to opiate addiction, I asked God to send his son so he could wrap his arms around me and save me from the evil that had consumed my life. I pray every night for all those still suffering from opiate addiction and hope I can 1 day help others beat this horrible addiction. It IS possible, you just have to get through that month of hell when you first quit. Until we change the way society and law enforcement treat people in addiction, we will continue to see this opioid problem grow. The detox centers here in Georgia only keep people coming on fentanyl for 5-7 days. Unfortunately, days 3-10 are the worst so soon as they let people out, they are gonna go straight back to using to relieve the horrible symptoms. At 21-24 days you finally start feeling a little better but full recovery can take up to 3mo. This was what I experienced and had to go through it twice cause I relapsed after 3 weeks before finally getting clean on my 2nd try. Just don't give up... God bless those still suffering and their families.
Just know she is very proud of you and so am i. Kicking addiction is one of the hardest things someone can do and you did it! She’s may not be here physically anymore but just know her spirit will always be with you. Energy never stops existing.
Portland decriminalization didn't create the epidemic drug problems, it exposed them for all to see. Portland business and homeowners unfortunately had to bear the brunt of the dramatic policy change, and their misfortune was harnessed as a political wedge.
It definitely made it grow significantly. It's not just that it's more visible, there areany many more drug users, because its not faced with any sort of regulation. Drugs are dangerous, obviously our social norms and legal norms need to treat it as if they pose risks for the individual as well as society. They SHOULD be legal, but that doesn't mean you should get to do them in the street, sleep on the street, and buy drugs from criminal drug dealers.
I spent years on the streets, homeless, shooting dope, crack, etc. The ENTIRE time, I had a maniacal nagging voice in my head that said "You're more than this, use your potential..." One day it was raining hard, my tarp tent behind home depot fell apart, I was sick, shivering, getting poured on. In that moment I looked up at the sky, I was sobbing but was able to pray "PLEASE HELP ME, please, whoever you are..." Rocking back and fourth, arms crossed, looking at the sky, soaked, I kept repeating it... The VERY SAME day, I was arrested for shoplifting from walmart. Got mandated to drug court, 6 months in jail, 12 months in residential rehabs. The magic happened when I started praying daily, I remember the EXACT DAY my demons left during a prayer, I couldn't quit crying uncontrollably & felt pure love, peace, serenity. I saw in that moment how everything was connected, spiritual, the beauty around me, the beauty in people, nature, love, etc... I was "tapped on the shoulder." So many aren't That was July 27th, 2016, I've been straight since. Properties, business, bikes, vehicles, heavy equipment, toys, etc. If you want out, try asking for help from a higher power daily, I PROMISE you'll get it. (Tears right now typing this, this thing is spiritual warfare, a demonic infestation.)
Portuguese living in US here: the difference is the culture, plain and simple. In Portugal you get raised in a public environment where wvery one has similar beliefs and values, and work/life balance is more relaxed. In the US the culture is more isolated, everyone is just taugh to get that bread from an early age, too many different opinions and beliefs, too much stress, everything leads to a way out.
I live in Portland Or, and it is incredibly terrifying just trying to walk across the street. Even as an adult, I feel extremely unsafe in these conditions. I’m so glad someone is finally reaching out about it.
The Netherlands (other countries of Europe too) goes like this 🇳🇱. Here most legal "depending on amount of said dr*g" a person has on him/her and that's a problem. Who's allowing it for those making and distributing it?! It's deliberatly being done.... ONLY SOMETIMES news will be shered they found a dr*g house and all cleared it 🙄🤷🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️ pretending they focus on such things. Come on, they're in on it. Money is the root of all evil. Same correct? : On January 1, 2023, there were an estimated 30.6 thousand homeless people. A year earlier this was still approximately 26.6 thousand. The research is based on 18 to 65 year olds. It ISN'T easy for the homeless people in the Netherlands (MOST are Dutch, born in the Netherlands!) to get shelter at all. There are only very few shelters from CBS and those few are only located in the big cities like Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Den Haag...Yes there are certain programs where homeless people could get help but these so called "systems" are broken and corrupted as can be, making it an almost impossible task to succeed! They don't treat these people their trauma's, so it's HIGHLY likely they will relapse. ONLY "therapy" to get off the substances and then just throwing them outside again WITHOUT FURTHER SUPPORT, will OF COURSE FAIL! Most CAN'T succeed. People please don't spread false information about this subject because it will harm a lot of people. Do your research first before you'll leave a comment on here. Due to the current inflation and governments, A LOT more people will become homeless. It could happen to anyone, especially those whom don't have any family/support system and even though people COULD get government benefits...that amount of money is NEVER sufficient to pay the lowest of the lowest monthly fixed charges/bills! The government benefits are less than half than the minimum income needed for the lowest monthly fixed bills!! Some will live in their car but that counts as homeless. Everyone whom doesn't have an address, is homeless. Much love 🙏🏻🫶🏼❤️ from the Netherlands.
@@th-cc6eiyou moron if you would just watch the video that you're commenting on right now you would see how that's the people who are actually solving the problem is people who are looking at it properly as a healthcare crisis we didn't even leave the criminalize it for 2 years we gave it no time to take any effect and we also didn't do the other stuff that's required to solve the problem we're going to go back to making it illegal like it is everywhere else and we're going to have the same exact problem because we never do what's required to solve the problem we just keep doing stuff that makes no sense because our gut reaction is that for some reason keeping it illegal is going to fix the problem like it's ever fixed any problem in history. Keep failing and experience the negative effects as it spirals out of control destroying everything and everyone.
Awesome work!! I've been clean for 4 years. I owe it all to the people who helped me. Not the ones who thought punishment was the answer.. wich for me was over 20 years of being treated like a criminal. Kudos to you for educating people about the HEALTH crisis. Because that's all it is.. a public health issue.. Thankyou
I'm really impressed at how compassionate the people in Portland that were interviewed were, even the ones that were against decriminalisation. They sympathised with the addicts situation even though public drug use negatively impacts their lives.
I’m glad you see the compassion. We don’t hate them. We pity them and want to help them because drug addiction affects everyone at every level even if you aren’t an addict yourself
Compassion gets nowhere with this. People think handing 5 dollars to the asshole who’s allowing his dog to burn up in the sun… is a good thing. Most people have no idea what’s going on outside.
this, plus housing. i think housing first then mental health. if you don’t have a place to call home then you’re naturally going to be struggling mentally
Been a herion addict for 7 years. Glad my country had a good recovery program. Been clean from it for almost 4 years now. Recently quit smoking weed to. My life is alot better now
@@Hampterninso can food but you don't see anyone robbing ice cream stands or dispensaries at gunpoint, it doesn't have the same impact on daily life you don't get so sick without weed you would sell your most precious possessions for a fraction of their worth just to feel better
@@anthonyaia423 my point is that it can be an addiction and it does have an impact lol it affects everyone differently. Maybe try getting information on it?
Hey there, portuguese guy here. I'm an avid fan of Tyler's journalism and have been following his work for years. Portugal decriminalizes drug use to a certain extent. If you're caught in possession of a certain amount of drugs, you will be arrested. Even if you have some drugs within the limits, you'll still be fined and registered. People arrested for drug trafficking face harsher criminal penalties than some murders and violent robberies. It's all very nice when it's said with the right words
Well, in fact the drug use is decriminalised, however drug distribution, and possession over a certain limit are not, simple as that. I don't think anything that was said in this video was "painted pink", they just didn't speak about this part.. But I do agree with you that this should have been brought up, because it is a big factor in the whole strategy, which still looks at drug use as a health problem from the user's perspective, while it looks at drug trafficking as a crime problem, which I honestly think is an important distinction to make.
@@MaryannaPoppins yap, you're right. It has to be emphasized that the use of drugs may be a crime but the possession and consumption of drugs outside the defined level are not. This is the main thing that everyone should take note of. One of the ways the issue of drug use and drug trafficking is different is that, while the former is treated as a health problem, the latter is seen as a criminal act. All these details need to be discussed to provide a correct view of this arrangement
This video made me cry. I am a recovering addict. Have been clean for 3 yrs now after being incarcerated for one year then a 6 mnth rehab with the help of harm reduction/ Sublocade monthly shot. The way that addicts are treated here in the U.S. is heartbreaking. It is true that they are treated as junk or garbage. It is a failing system, controlled by greed and profit with no hope for humanity
Legalizing street drugs is the equivalent of giving a drunk a bottle of rum and expecting positive results. Maybe the people making these decisions are doing drugs, nonsense.
@@marknagle-vi7og Better to legalise drugs and provide people with free, safe equipment to use and the right education than for them to further endanger their health by pushing them away and stigmatising their choices. It's about providing clear opportunities and incentives to get clean and stay that way.
Im portuguese, and also live in Portugal if u decide to come again to Portugal or maybe even the city of Porto would be a pleasure to help you out talking to the people on the streets! Love your channel man keep it up!
Genuine question - if someone with money, American, wanted to retire there, to use to clean heroin (which is non existent in US) is that an option? Do the laws apply to immigrants too? Also does the decriminalization result in clean drugs or are yours as bad as ours?
@@johnathanlatman2507 I think you gotta search for that information because I dont know exactly how the law works on that particular case, but even if you are emigrant and the law doesnt aply here you can get the nationality in a few years, quite easily, about the drugs out here I dont think they are like the best in terms of quality but we dont have like fent so here you dont get that bad drugs if you know what I mean. But again Im not the best persone to educate you on that because Im not into that, but one thing I know for sure is that Portugal is a beautiful country where you have everything since country side to beach, so I recommend spending here your retirement just like madona did, also because if you have some money you can live pretty good here
Im portuguese.. ex user 20 years on heroína and coca you can find all on Lisboa, but white heroin is hard to find.. god brown and opium is all around and top coca. If you get cougt here you can have smal amouth for use like 5 to 10 days amouth, if you have residence you are tretetd like a nacional person or slap and go away maximu go to center 1time ... But now ir you have the € chose life my friend.. (sorry my bad English)@@johnathanlatman2507
@@itsnotthat_ well it’s more of a long term plan for me than an immediate need . I do appreciate you lol. Got a bit more work to do here first. So about the cleanliness and quality of the product, does the decriminalization mean way better quality? or not? Again thanks for your answer
Just hit like 4 months sober not too long ago. This was never a solution. They legalized everything without the resources for people to get better. This was a culling. My heart goes out to all of these people still struggling. You can recover.
I'm a recovering addict and prison saved my life. It sucked, and took years from my life, but I'd be dead if I hadn't gotten caught. My brother passed from an OD and my dad would come visit me and say "I'm glad I'm coming to visit you in prison and not at your grave". Weed charges do clog up the court system. I don't believe ALL drugs should be criminalized, but hard drugs absolutely have to have consequences for selling and possessing.
I was a heroin addict for a long time, and I'm a first generation Portuguese american. I've been raving about portuguese drug policy for over a decade. Thank you so very much for making this video. The people who run the US don't care about the well-being of its citizens, and I think it will be a long time until we make any real changes.
change will start as soon enough people are voting for the politicians that want to help people. Too many people are voted into office who were born into corruption and chose to live in corruption (e.g no. 45). Stop voting for people based on hope they look or how they make you feel. Vote on people based on their policies and for those who have appear held office or appeared in the public eye, based on their track record. Don’t make excuses for public figures who mistreat people (again, e.g no. 45). The US need to put people first. Not only some people. All people in America. Allow for trials to see what is working to help people. Refund the programs in place to help people who are suffering. Stop polarizing humanitarian relief. Stop bailing out rich businesspeople who are in financial ruin because of illegal or irresponsible business choices. Put that money into helping the suffering instead. Especially those who call themselves Christian. Jesus was the lord of the poor, the suffering. He was outraged by rich religious people. By rich churches. He spent his whole life uplifting the needy. Start living in Christ if you will call yourself a Christian.
@@emilygoogle6520 Whilst I agree with you, I don't think the USA is capable of changing the way you describe quickly enough (worst still they are exporting that selfish mindset through multiple media etc. with the fetishistic worship of big business). It has taken many, many decades of indoctrination and that cannot be undone in a few years. A great example of this is the more 'thoughtful'* objection to free tax funded healthcare that is "Why should I pay for someone else's treatment?" (Well ignoring that the USA claims to be a christian country and the whole good Samaritan/helping others thing.) That statement just shows a complete lack of understanding of how insurance works, your premiums are doing exactly that, and feeding the insurance company stockholders and big pharmaceutical companies profits/shareholders. *By 'thoughtful' I mean not the stupid knee-jerk reaction of blurting out the "but that's communism!" trope.
46:13 as an addict/alcoholic in recovery this little had me tearing up. The whole video has. I’m fortunate enough to live in MA, where we have many resources for addicts, homeless, etc.. I had a loving family waiting for me and I cannot stress enough how vital human kindness and acceptance was to my sobriety. ❤❤❤ 01/11/21 We do recover.
Amazing, as a formal addict I can attest that most of what they say and do are very true and make sense. God bless these people that genuinely try to help and care for others that are struggling ❤
In other countries that have done this they have extensive resources available instead of jail. They put them in programs and housing that actually help them change their lives. They didn't just decriminalize it and let the addicts run free like they did in Portland.
Like the one dude said there's plenty of other places in the US that are just as bad as Portland that never decriminalized. So that's probably not the actual problem or solution.
@@mumsspaghetti6649 It shouldn't be jail in my opinion, it should be similar though in that they aren't allowed to leave the facility. It should be a place focused specifically on drug rehabilitation free of charge and for the first year the patients cannot leave the facility and then the next year are put on strict probation only being allowed to leave for work. There is no rehabilitation in US prisons it's just a cage where you get tortured.
The most salient point, no matter we try nothing will stop people using drugs. Stabilizing people who use by supplying pharmaceutical grade safe doses along with supportive services to help people to rehabilitate their lifestyles would lead to more lives reclaimed and more lives saved
I absolutely agree with you. People are going to get it anyway. The solution is what you said. Make it safe and controlled so they can at least be alive and have a chance to kick it….
hi, portuguese student here! I am currently studing at portugal red cross (lisbon pole) witch is exactly on the street you visited, Avenida de ceuta (casal da cabrinha). I dont think i have ever seen so many drugged people in my life until i went to college. I live far from lisbon so i need to take public transportation and i can tell that the bus line carris 756 is one of the most disgusting things in the world. Its a mix of turists coming/going to belém, students and families who need to deal with people under influence in one small bus. In my college we have a class where studens go to the neighborhood and practice, in way of improving skills and helping the community. Some of the videos you passed we can see blue jacked therapists, wich leads me to believe, they are physiotherapy students or already licensed PT. The problem is definitly not solved. People are just being pushed to social houses on a less turistic side of lisbon. And the security of us students, families (not the drug addicts, the ones who cant afford better) and turists is being threatned. Not a great place to have a college but definitly a new experience every day. Either way, great video and keep going!
Did you actually watch the hole video? Data has clearly proved that by safely facilitating and giving people the option for full rehabilitation, works better then then punishing and forcing. What is better, someone going into public toilets and being high on the street and possibly being found dead somewhere. Or having a centre where there is professionals ready to step in if you OD? They will also educate and assist you with getting help when you feel ready. Throwing someone into rehab against there wishes simply won't work. They need help overcoming what makes them use drugs in the first place, and that can take some people a long time. You mite only be there for 3 to 6 months.
@@LG1ikLx no its time to quit defending the policy that caused this. youre seeing the effect RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU, but youd rather grandstand. your selfish virtuous policy isnt fking working. grow tf up=
As a person who has 30 years in recovery , it bothers me that as much as I've learned about ADDICTION & RECOVERY , what I don't see ANYBODY doing is working on the idea of PREVENTION . For the younger generation there has got to be some guidance on how to cope with your emotions minus the use of narcotics . I think times are slightly better than when I grew up ( in the 60's & 70's ) where NOBODY sought or got mental health services , even though we were ALL in need in one way or another . However , there is obviously much more work to be done . We must teach , from an early age how to cope with our emotions in a healthy , productive manner .
Inobody has community. Online ones don't count. I think that's one of the key aspects behind AA and church. The gathering and being apart of a community.
on prevention: its apparent that the business owned by the SACKLER family is responsible, and they pushed hard for their business to make the moves and take the actions it did because it expanded their WEALTH. it seems there are people (the SACKLER family being a part of this sub-set) whom are notorious for placing the accumulation of _all available resources_ for themselves, even when their share becomes more than what they can use in their own lifetime, is their _top priority_ . now, when there is a BLATANT and traceable genetic subspecies of people that relentlessly hound and scramble for every last penny despite the social or human cost, that seemingly over and over throughout history have caused significant damage and/or fallout due to their pathological obsession with the pursuit of wealth at _ANY_ cost (to themselves OR OTHERS, EVEN LIFE ITSELF) perhaps there should be an open discussion about the issue. every culture has its undesirable features: erosion of family unit, or casual dismissive attitude toward migration policies, or the disparate social standing of the sexes... or shameless racketeering around finance, media, agency and policy shaping purely to fortify their own folk (usually at the expense of other folk) no mater how much they might wail and shriek about 'persecution'. there comes a time when enough is enough.
@@notouchy Even 50 years ago I remember my Mother making comments about what people are in willing to do for the ALMIGHTY DOLLAR . Not only have things not changed but it's gotten SOOOO MUCH worse . Especially as Americans -- we are a society of extreme MATERIALISM while our morals , familial values , even basic manners fade away . The future looks so grim !!!
As we should. Their selfishness & greed for the high caused them their problems. Let's blame Guns & Bullets for throwing themselves at people killing them. Ban Forks for making people fat. It's all about choice.
@@novicenova Let me tell you something man. 10 years ago I was homeless, smoking crack, a general parasite on society. I got help, I got rehabilitated. I've been clean for 10 years. I serve the department of transportation by keeping our highway rest stops repaired and well maintained. That was all because I got the help I needed. We don't need hate man. We don't need death. We need empathy and understanding. We need to help, instead of get rid of. Other countries don't have these problems because they help, not dispose of.
How ignorant. You'd think you KNOW for a fact how their addictions started. Either way compassion helped me get sober. What kept me using was comments like yours. I chose to ignore it & got clean... My addiction started at birth pretty much. My mom never did drugs. I was born with a lot of medical issues & a rare condition that doctors didn't really detect for 25 years.. the pain from the nerves in my spine tethering was UNBEARABLE the pain meds were the only thing stopping me from commiting a self deletion. @@novicenova
@@TheMeatballMan420good, because in America you can be redeemed. Wrong, America has empathy it always leds to enabling poor behavior. America needs balance and options/opportunities.
I lived in Portland for the last 8 years. The man in the wheelchair said it best. These programs are only just beginning to do the right things. The questions definitely should point to city government on financial management, there are some severe issues. Along with ppb union issues that divide the community. Most people want decriminalization but are severely disappointed at how funds were spent to support it. Things like, cleaning up trash vs providing housing and counseling. Plus, there are definitely repeat abusers that should be jailed for things like public indecency, littering, public urination/defecation, rape,… selling laced drugs. Being able to do drugs shouldn’t mean making the bad choices you make while high legal… streets are unsafe for children, anyone, to walk around.
But couldn’t these problems have been foreseen? When I first heard about the decriminalizing of drugs, i predicted a lot of the same issues, it seemed like common sense. I don’t live in Portland so I don’t know the issue personally however
@@laurencestephenson1093 actually yeah. We pretty much steamrolled right through a terrible, unprepared plan from day one. The right programs were discussed, but not funded, and it would’ve helped mitigate all of it. I wasn’t lying about the issues in government in Portland, it’s the only reason decriminalizing failed.
Looks like you’re growing up and learning ! I’m glad you are taking onboard the constructive criticism that was out there about you and seems like you had a wake up call and found a new passion. Keep showing us the shades of grey in journalism
Americans eat brain dead frankenchemicals, ton of fast food and love it as they demand nothing better. Most food Americans eat is banned in every other country and can't be exported. Tyler should have talked to American vegans, that's the only intelligent and smart people... Smart and intelligent enough to change what they eat and not let food addiction control them like every other American "it's too hard to go vegan" or "I love the taste of dead bodies too much".. not realizing meat and dairy in America is linked to all diseases and cancer
America claims to be the best, but I'd you actually study you'll see it's the worse especially when it comes to brainpower and intelligence of the people. They are laughing at Trump and Kamala
We need more RUclipsrs like this that are actually trying to help people and help solve our nations problems this guy is a fucking gem and he deserves so much support
This title is false. The drugs weren't legalized. If it was legalized that would mean being able to go into walgreens and buy codiene over the counter without a prescription.
Having grown up in the presence of both addicts and alcoholics, I can pretty safely say that most people do these things to escape pain. Physical pain, emotional pain, it's all about Why they turn to these things.
I’m sorry you had to go through that but I know ppl who’ve never had to struggle and are full fledged drug addicts who only care about their next high so in the meantime ppl with Chronic pain will suffer
@@AbdulSufan-vt7nq are they addicts or just users? If casual users, then yes, you are mostly right. However. The majority of addicts become so for reasons other than simple access.
Tyler the work you did here is amazing! Literally found the missing pieces to broken policies in the US, I very much hope this gets to our government and they will do the right thing.
people typically know about 100 people on average if youre out and about you probably know a lot more, but hes probably not friends with them just knows of them
YOU don't know many people I guess, but you are NOT most people. Like the other commenter said, most people know around 100 people....actually, I think it's more like 150 average. It depends on your lifestyle and personality. Back when I used to like people, and I worked on the renaissance festival circuit, I knew hundreds of people fairly well. I'm kind of sick of people, and I'm a hermit now. The only people in my life are my (now adult) children.
Graduated hs in 2013 only 2 people out of 15 people I loved and cared about are gone it's more common than you think. Doesn't matter if you're rich or poor it destroys lives indiscriminately
What is meant by describing people as marginalized? Do you mean low income? Or does it mean mentally ill? Because drug use isn’t a poor person thing it’s people of all incomes including millionaires.
Tyler, thank you for such thorough investigating and reporting. I appreciate you bringing light to all of the challenges of substance abuse and homelessness. More so, I appreciate you showing basic human kindness and decency to people suffering from these conditions. Keep up the awesome work.
I was first very impressed with the Dutch approach. Both of the professionals you interviewed were well informed and compassionate in their approach. I live in Vancouver, BC where there is a program that provides free herion through Providence Health but I believe it is a small circulation. Our streets are overrun by the ill effects of drug use which are often not mentioned when people claim it is a 'victimless crime' such as property crime and homelessness. The interview with the two Portuguese professionals tied it all together. Demonstrated the necessity of a full psycho-social model that works on many domains rather than just the addressing the act of addiction alone. Great video., thank you. Very well done!
Portuguese here, it's 100% because of the lack of treatment. Portugal has plenty of places to get treated, and actively has an atmosphere that promotes against overdosing, all of which Portland and other similar cities lack.
I've read that the drugs over there are not contaminated, You see drugs in the U.S and Canada are laced with deadly toxic chemicals, like fentanyl and xylazine that are so easy to overdose on or be seen walking around in a zombie like state, These chemicals are so strong that even when ther are revived from overdosing they simply do not care they almost died and are shooting up with the Same poison just hours later, So in a nut shell it's so strong that most cannot be reasoned with and refuse offered help and treatment and choose to live on the street until they die, so am I right that that these deadly chemicals are not in Portugal so addicts more approachable to options of treatment...
Tanking the drug market seems like something worth thinking about... Like they did with heroin in Amsterdam. Giving addicts, that can't quit, pure drugs, clean stuff for using and do research to find less harmful ways to use and then tell the addicts... Might save quite a few lives. Of course we want everyone to not even try, and to quit as soon as possible, but if they can help most addicts get a good life, help with their problems, and that's what get them to succeed in quitting... Those who get their clean stuff won't need to buy it from some sketchy guy, get poisoned by stuff mixed in with the drugs, be less sick and don't have to do whatever to get their drugs... The drug dealers won't be interested, if they don't have a market to sell to. And most of that drug goes away?
Maybe the drugs can be decriminalized, but the other crimes they're committing while on the drugs still need to be dealt with. What happened to littering, public nuisance, public intoxication, loitering, etc....?
That's easy... Defunding the police! Wtf did people think would happen? If you don't punish the smaller crimes properly it becomes easier to commit the larger. For that you need a police and emergency service not on it's knees. A court system that is accessible and lacking in corruption and properly trained judges. What I can tell you from experience about dutch police is they are lovely and helpful but if you put other people in danger or misbehave in front of children they will not hesitate to stomp your ass. But they never draw their weapons unless fired upon. Strong competent policing without it nothing can improve.
Portugal spent two decades PREPARING to decriminalize/legalize all drugs by researching and investing in rehabilitation services. Not the for-profit rehabs we have in America, which are incentivized to keep you coming back... Portugal is also tiny compared to US as a whole. edit: You cannot treat drug addiction without treating trauma at the same time, or it will not work. Research shows this.
Or...follow me for just a moment...their countries don't border a 3rd world shit hole like mexico who is run by the drug cartels
This sums it up. Vancouver just ended their decriminalized drug pilot program early because it was chaos to the city. These things dont happen overnight
Also it has a lot to do with the culture . Portuguese people are very family oriented and mostly into Christianity so that helps.
@@cindybarrettoChristianity has nothing to do with it
Yes to your whole comment. Trauma is the underline root of most, if not all mental health and addiction. Its generational trauma as well. When a person gets treated for addiction, mental heal, and trauma at the same time they absolutely have a better chance of recovering. Even more of a chance of not relapsing when they find a program of recovery to help them on a daily. Treatment eventually ends, recovery is ongoing.
Almost like decriminalization of drugs doesn't work if you dont have a system with affordable healthcare, rehab and social programs that helps you turn your life around.
Edit:
Reading some of y'all comments makes me lose faith in humanity, America's problem with poverty, homelessness and drugs isn't the illness but it's the symptoms of a failing society. It's the symptoms of a society that kicks its people while they are already down, it's the symptoms of an education system where luck and family money is prioritized over hard work and potential. It's a symptom of a healthcare system where money is above saving lives, and where most working class people can't afford therapy or rehab (which they need after the hospital got them hooked on opioids). It's the symptoms of a society where most people don't care about each other's wellbeing out of sight, out of mind. Where your taxes are used to make the 1% richer, how can so many of you say you're patriots when you don't give a fuck about what's going on outside your little lake.
This isn't an age, race, sex, sexuality or political ideology problem, this is purely a problem between the people vs the elite and it won't change until the American people wake up and stop fighting Internally.
This
The dutch dude already said rehab doesn't work, and canada has free healthcare and greater social programs than the US. It doesn't work there either.
A Portland politician literally admitted they were supposed to do all this extra stuff once it was decriminalized. But they only decriminalized. They should have followed through with the housing, addiction counseling, mental health and everything else they promised.
And in a Democrat area.
Imagine a world where decriminalization is paired with comprehensive social support. People could actually get the help they need instead of being shuffled through the criminal justice system. But why go for practical solutions when you can just leave people to fend for themselves? After all, who needs affordable healthcare and rehabilitation programs when you can just, you know, not get addicted in the first place? Simple!
And let's not forget the social programs that help people turn their lives around. It's almost like having a safety net encourages people to rebuild their lives. But in some places, the idea of investing in people seems more radical than decriminalizing drugs itself. Because nothing says "we care" like throwing people into a maze with no exit.
decriminalizing drugs without a support system? It’s like giving someone a parachute and then cutting all the strings. But hey, at least it looks good on paper!
“When you’re dealing with a drug crisis, it’s not a drug crisis it’s a people crisis.” This is why America fails to address this issue.
Decriminalization didn't work in america because in american culture, black rappers and celebrities openly attest to how smoking and doing drugs will make you cool so when it becomes legal everyone wanna be cool. Your privileged @ss can vicitmize yourself as much as you want and blame healthcare but you can't pretend that your healthcare and social programs are the worst and countries that have it worse don't have zombie towns.
True statement.
Yes, this. Also imo I’ve felt that it was a terrible decision to turn healthcare into a for-profit business model. Once our neighborhood doctors office’s turned into a business it changed everything. The general health of a society should not have a dollar sign attached to it.
🎯🎯🎯🎯🎯🎯
Yup. We lack empathy for our people here. We only care just enough. We're used to the broken promises of politicians. It's all smoke and mirrors here and that's sad. If we truly care about our community we wouldn't have the issues like we have now.
I started doing drugs since my teenage, got addicted to cocaine. Spent my whole life fighting cocaine addiction. I suffered severe depression and mental disorder. Got diagnosed with OCD. Not until my wife recommended me to psilocybin mushrooms treatment. Psilocybin treatment saved my life honestly. 8 years totally clean. Never thought I would be saying this about mushrooms.
I love hearing great life changing stories like this. I want to become a mycologist because honestly mushrooms are the best form of medicine (most especially the psychedelic ones) There are so many people today used magic mushrooms to ween off of SSRI medication- its amazing! Years back i wrote an entire essay about psychedelics. they saved you from death buddy, lets be honest here.
Hey mates! Can you help with the source? I suffer severe anxiety, panic and depression and I usually take prescription medicine, but they don't always help. Where can I find those psilocybin mushrooms? I'm really interested in treating my mental health without Rxs. I live in Australia don't know much about these. I'm so glad they helped you. I can't wait to get them too. Really need a reliable source 🙏
Yes Predroshrooms
Thanks for sharing your story. That's rough I sympathize. Save your health save your mind. Life is better without heroin, cocaine, alcohol and cigarettes. And you have more money in your pocket. God bless everyone who has rejected the devils intentions to be addicted to alcohol and cigarettes etc which can cause so much damage to health. I will pray for you all.
Where do I reach this dude? If possible can I find him on Google
Societal Standards in Portugal are maintained. Using drugs is legalised, using drugs in public places, around children, whilst working etc is not acceptable. It’s no different than having alcohol legal but people still have societal expectations of when it’s appropriate. Legalising shouldn’t mean a free for all for people to do whatever they choose.
In the U.S., they prefer a more chaotic approach. Their strategy involves a blend of draconian laws, overcrowded prisons, and a thriving black market. It’s like a giant, nationwide game of "let’s see how badly we can mess this up." Why fix what’s broken when they can just keep adding more duct tape to it?
Portugal has these pesky societal standards that make perfect sense-legalizing drugs but not allowing their use in inappropriate settings. Boring! In the States, they thrive on confusion and contradiction. They have legal alcohol, but public intoxication can land you in jail. Weed is legal in some states, but federally, it’s still a big no-no. They love keeping everyone on their toes!
And then there’s the economic aspect. Think of all the jobs they’d lose in the prison-industrial complex if they followed Portugal’s lead. Imagine the horror of having fewer people incarcerated! Their economy thrives on the misery of others; why change that?
So, while Portugal maintains their societal standards with a logical approach, the U.S. will keep doing what they do best: clinging to outdated policies, perpetuating confusion, and ensuring their justice system remains as convoluted as possible. Because if there’s one thing Americans excel at, it’s complicating the simple.
@@elian0213✅✔️ Damn Straight -- You said it ALL.
Yep, Complicating the Simple.
Wait. Ten years will pass and Portugal will be lost as well. You just need a bigger addicted population. It's f up to allow drugs! 🤦🤬
America breeds stupid with stupid policies designed to keep you poor & unhealthy.
As a Portuguese i must say the way our government handled the drug issue in the 90s pretty much saved the country from becoming a giant skidrow. There's things that can be improved but they did well
Portugal SHOULD be a model for Greece. The countries have faces similar stuggles in similar times frames but Portugal is if not thriving, doing very well, and Greece is collapsing. Honestly may be a case where the EU takes an unprecedented step and steps in.
I remember watching a documentary on it years ago, was very interesting. One thing though, they were still going after dealers. Do you think it would be better to legalize and regulate the sale of the drugs?
Fellow tuga, saudações
@@hannahb.375 honestly i spent 8months in athens in 2023 and i must say the governament has no control over anything. The city is just in decay and full of drug addicts and crime is raising
@@snaz27 even when its legal there Will always be black market. But offering actual help to People, educanting instead of just making them addicts is the key
That lady said it perfectly : they weren't trying to help them, they were enabling them
it's more like they want them to overdose themselves so they can get rid of them... But what do I know?
Have you ever been through anything like it tho. No. It’s like punishing people for a disease ya don’t lock up anyone else with a disease
What's your point??? The government hook kindergartners and continued it for 12 years and the. Threw them away.and people like you are the problem not the addict
@GINGER_KING_
Nope, you lock them up for committing crimes. Like loitering; public nuisance, etc.
Not the drug taking.
@@lifeoflennie2443 I didn’t say if they did crimes. But we don’t need police for every little thing. You wimps would have never made it in Wild West days lol protect yourself and who cares what they do not like there killing anyone. People in other countries don’t even have food they sure as hell wouldn’t cry just cause people aren’t living life how they would choose
what else is needed?
-financial stability
-tight family
-good community
This channel has improved a lot. I began watching specifically for the subjects being covered, but had a hard time with the interviewers approach. I think you’ve done well in humbling yourself and becoming less of a “wtf” moment seeker, and more of a genuine deep dive guide. Keep it up, Tyler. This is my favorite video of yours yet.
Yes absolutely glad he's headed in the right direction, a lot of potential here
I still think he sucks. He really does not care about anyone he's interviewing, he's just trying to get content. Admittedly he gets quite a lot of good content, which is why I keep coming here. But he is not a good person.
@@beavinatorMost of not all RUclipsrs are clout chasera
@@beavinator Neither are you, so pound sand.
tommy g better 💯
Overdosed 18 times & had endocarditis (had to get heart and lung surgery) and even after that it still didn’t stop me. But now I’m going on three years clean and I honestly never thought I could do it. I pray for every other addict out there, if I can do it, you can too❤
So proud of you and good luck on your recovery ❤️🩹
Great, glad you got clean. What was it that helped you in the end, out of curiosity?
How did u stop 👀
I’m so glad you are recovering! My friend had endocarditis and didn’t get in recovery, until she kicked in the hospital. She has been in a nursing home, since age 43 or 44. She’s 51 now. She’s in multiple organ failure. I am 6 years off substances, but my health is not good, either. I am on a liquid diet indefinitely, and need a feeding tube but I’m still fighting to get one approved. I can’t swallow, food can’t leave me stomach well, and I can only pass waste by gravity. Dope put a near complete stop to my esophageal, GI (and below) motility, and doctors don’t know if it can possibly come back. As far as public education goes, I hear a lot about ODs, but not nearly enough about spending 16 hours a day trying to eat and eliminate the waste. When I slip and eat something solid, I can’t move my body from being bed for a week, without excruciating pain and I’m weak all the time, because I can’t afford my prescribed diet. I get no assistance because i have to go to school and pay money to do so. Welfare says 3 month training program is allowed, max. I have vocational certificates, an AA and BA. I can’t work enough, until I’m a professional with some ability to set my own schedule, because I spend hours trying to get food through my body. I was put on opiates, after a skull fracture and 5 ruptured discs in my lower cervical spine. I have worked and tried my hardest, my whole life. I ended up self-medicating pain, because my doctor moved and no one was prescribing. But that led up to my disability, including all the prescription meds used properly. I need uncovered surgery, chiropractic and PT, not just drugs, and no full opiates, ever. That was all they would cover, plus 20 times less chiropractic than recommended.
You're a 🤡.
Like how dumb to get into any of that in the first place. How much taxpayer money was spent so you could "have fun"?
I smoked heroine for 13years .and in that 13years I quit and relapsed 4 times this is the last time I quit .now I'm clean 4 years .I'm so glad I'm out of the life from hell .I thank my parents for standing with me through my time of coming clean 🙏🏻
Good for you man, I quit opioids and other stuff years ago
Proud of you. As a former addict I know it's not easy to leave addiction behind ..
Congrats and keep fighting the good fight! I only wish my childhood best friend had your courage and willpower against H instead of a battle lost. I admire people like yourself
Good for you.
Hardest thing to do bro....
It's heartbreaking to see how a system designed to help vulnerable people can be so effective, yet the support is taken away. Portugal’s approach really shows how a compassionate, health-based strategy can make a difference in people's lives. It’s a shame when such efforts are removed elsewhere, leaving those in need without proper care. What a great example Portugal sets for the world.
Functionally, the thought that came to mind after reaching the end of this is a combination of Amsterdam and Portugal philosophies.
The reality of the situation is America doesn't see the benefit in either one. One simply isn't profitable, the other actually costs money to run.
A massive paradigm shift would need to take place here on about every level... particularly with places such as Portland so clearly visible.
Even if they picked up said combo, it would take a long time to clean it up. These other places are essentially unified in their approach... we have 51 different philosophies to wade through to make such a thing happen.
@@MadScientist267 Thank you for sharing your insights! I appreciate the comparison with Amsterdam and Portugal’s philosophies-it’s interesting to think about how their unified approaches allow for more streamlined solutions. You’re absolutely right that America’s decentralized model, with each state bringing its own policies and priorities, makes it challenging to adopt a cohesive philosophy nationwide. This is particularly visible with cities like Portland, where issues often feel more polarized because solutions don’t consistently apply across regions.
A paradigm shift like this would indeed require a significant cultural and economic adjustment, one that likely wouldn’t be quick or cheap. I wonder, though, what you think might be the most practical first steps toward encouraging more collaborative policy changes in the U.S.? Maybe smaller, local initiatives that start to model what such approaches might look like on a larger scale?
I totally agree with you! I wish the USA would do the same thing. So many people are homeless and dying! It's not just the big cities either. It's everywhere! I've known way too many people that have died and I never lived in a big city! 😢😢😢😭😭😭
@@twilabillman2106 I’m so sorry to hear about the losses you’ve experienced-that’s absolutely heartbreaking. You’re right, homelessness and its devastating impact aren’t confined to just big cities; it’s everywhere, and it’s affecting so many lives. It’s so frustrating to see how much suffering could be alleviated if more countries adopted compassionate, health-centered approaches like Portugal’s. I really hope we see more progress in addressing this crisis in the U.S. soon-no one should be left without care or a safe place to call home. 💔
legalizing and regulating drugs can make such a difference. It ensures people know what they're taking and reduces the risks of contamination or overdose. Plus, it gives them a chance to recover and rebuild their lives after facing trauma, whether it’s from bullying, losing a job, or being stuck without housing. It’s such a compassionate step forward-helping people regain stability and dignity rather than punishing them for struggling.
Small thing you failed to mention: it is actually illegal to sleep on the streets of Holland. If police find you, they will immediately take you to a shelter.
They tell you to leave. They don't take you to a shelter.
There aren't enough shelters for everybody. Only during the winter when it's freezing every homeless person can sleep somewhere inside. I live in Amsterdam.
But if you're homeless and you really want help and a house you can get it!! But people have to show up and follow rules.
Something a lot of addicts are not able to.
But it's possible if you really want it!
@@yvonnedeboer7535 like in portugal
Better than canadian and USA police policies
@@MuttzyDoggthe first response to this comment is basically how the US works
Holland? You mean the netherlands
As soon as the man said “it works because their are no profits to go after” I knew the possibility of it working in America was zero. NOTHING gets off the ground here unless someone can make money off of it.
capitalism is antichrist!
...I really think you need to read up on what a non profit is... it doesn't mean everyone is a volunteer and no income is generated and people are not paid for their services
You’re correct! These policies will never work with how our system operates!
how do you all like the Soros agenda?
Otherwise is - Socialism & Comunism ... The hope is that drug crisis will lead to economic crisis, or political one, that's when "they" will really try to change something in US.
That's why Portugal got it right. They treated it as a health crisis rather than a criminal one. I am a recovering addict who found recovery in the Suboxone program.
Suboxone is just substituting one drug for another.
@@gangoffour6690 Suboxone is giving someone who is struggling to cold turkey quit an out that can avoid overdosing and severe withdrawals in a controlled dose that can be stopped slowly over time while the individual is seeking further treatment. Abruptly quitting opiates can cause death and has a higher chance of relapse than a "slow, controlled quitting" with suboxone or methadone. So, while (yes) it is substituting one drug for another, the drug that is being substituted in is far safer.
@@gangoffour6690 Yeah, but with no psychoactive effects, rather just to keep the person from having withdrawal states, cramps, pains and mainly, to keep the person from searching for the "real deal"... it of course depends on their power of will
I pray that you win that fight. There are so many better things to live for.
I was on 320mls of methadone for 23yrs. Nearly 5yrs clean 🙏
the huge panda telling you that "drogas are bad for you, man" convinced me
I liked the healthcare man who said, “It’s not a drug problem, it’s a people problem.” Thanks for this video. It shows that there are a lot of caring humans making a difference for others. There’s no magic-bullet solution for any epidemic.
The sanitation worker at 6:00 is a true man. Out in the rain working, helping clean the streets, probably being a street therapist of sorts. What a good man.
So much respect for him, for real. God bless him
@32:50 is the answer!
Indeed😮😊
He reminds me of the handyman at my rehab, just such a selfless black man. So amazing
I thought it was ksi
I LOVE the approach Amsterdam takes. Effective/clean/supportive/regulated and treating as an illness..which it truly is. I went through HORRIFIC trauna as a child/teenage girl,which then became adult trauma. I CHOSE to self medicate,and yes..in an ideal world i shouldn't have. But grief/trauma/no support,does insane things to one's mental health
This documentary was a great insight
Absolutely. I have several family members still living in Appalachia and many of them battle addiction because of terrible jobs/job opportunities, bad infrastructure, having parents who were also addicts etc. it’s completely self medication combined with it being the only form of entertainment young teenagers have. It’s really sad and I’m so disconnected from them which also makes me sad. Very hard to watch someone go through and realize there are no avenues to help them. On top of that, my father who is basically the only one of his cousins who “got out” is really successful and has a very pull yourself up by your bootstraps mentality, because he did it. He does his best with my generation to house them and help pay for college, and he’s kind of taken it upon himself to save his family members he deems worthy I guess, BUT he’s very against most social welfare programs and stuff so I get two very different messages from his story.
I experienced the exact same thing. Back in early 2000’s when I sobered up there was ALOT MORE RESOURCES…. I went to treatment 4 times 5 th a charm. Now ….., it’s hard to go to treatment once !!!!!
I like the idea of being only allowed to smoke in your house we have rule here you can smoke just not on the streets but most dont care and including me i smoke sometimes but i do it in special places like me and my friends hate doing it infront of people as we do dont really want to disturb people when they are just taking a nice walk we mostly go to places where no one really comes especially not where kids hang around
@@hannahb.375Seems you do get 2 diff msgs. The "everybody can do it cuz I did it" is bullshit.. Well, of course, in reality most everyone can but we're not all built the same & we all come from diff levels/depths of trauma, mental illness. & nature & nurture.
@@killerkiser8541 some drug use is recreational. others use it to dull mental anguish. still others have real physical pain that doctors can't or don't know how to treat.
This is a great documentary ,Tyler. Keep up the good work!
As someone who suffers with extreme severe anxiety I can totally relate to her. I would stop eating for days at a time as a punishment. I worry a lot about my life, everyone around me and pleasing everyone. It's absolutely crippling, so glad she got the help she needed, lovely young lady it's so sad that society has 1 in 3 people suffering mental health issues. I hope everyone seeks help
People need to realise that people with anxiety disorders have oversensitised nerves, it's not a simple case of manning up and getting over it.
Can you help with the reliable source I would really appreciate it. Many people talk about how mushrooms and psychedelics treats anxiety, but nobody talks about where to get them. Very hard to get a reliable source here in Australia. Really need!
Yes, doctor Greg mushroom I have the same experience with anxiety, depression, PTSD and addiction and Mushrooms definitely made a huge huge difference to why am clean today.
Please, how do I reach doctor Greg?
Is he on the internet?
The problem is you can't expect people to want to not do drugs unless life feels worth living. There needs to be good prospects and quality of life when sober, adequate healthcare for trauma. These are the root causes...
Exactly and less expensive costs of general living..
People will do drugs amyway.
They don't need a justification, your life might be amazing and you can still want to and do drugs.
When you have a terrible life, they just become really Addictive.
That is not the case for everyone. I was a fentanyl addict for the last few years and I never wanted to die. I just couldn't stop myself. I had everything to live for. Yes I've had trauma yes I've had bad things happen to me like everybody else in my life and I just used it for an excuse. But I never wanted to die ever. I never smoked fentanyl I've always snorted the blues and I've never OD'd even doing 20 of them a day I think it depends on how people ingest them because all of my friends who snort them have never OD'd but I have seen so many people that smoke them OD in seconds
@@terrikeentk e everyone is different and there are different factors that can lead to substance use disorder, such as yes, being miserable and poor quality of life, but also other predisposing factors such as trauma, psychiatric, neurological and neurodevelopmental disorders (75%+ of those with SUD have a comorbid mental condition of some kind), as well as genetic predisposing factors.
trauma alone, a bad life alone, none of this ALONE leads to SUD. It is a combination of multiple complex factors.
Get off the drugs and quit promoting them and you might get
a better quality of life!
You've GOT to have standards. You can't get drunk on the street, you can't drink too much and drive, you can't smoke indoors, yet for some god damn reason, you can inject yourself with recreationals in the street in America/Canada.
I want more government control over this, not banning, standards enforcement. If you're the kind of person who leaves a needle on the floor, you need a flogging and to sort your life out, if you aren't competent enough to use a needle bin, you shouldn't be GIVEN A NEEDLE at all.
Government is the drug supplier, com on...
You can smoke indoors?! Are you retarded?
Damn you cant smoke indoors?
you can get drunk on the street in Japan legally and its much safer and cleaner than the us.
Exactly. Most based comment I've seen in a while. People need to take responsibility for themselves and stop making excuses. I especially agree on what you said about the needle, that is disgusting. Leaving a used needle on the ground should be punishable up to at least 5 years in prison, considering how dangerous those things can be. And police officers should be inspecting any known homeless encampments at least thrice a day to ensure they're following the law. We need to be more pragmatic on these people, and more harsh to those that refuse to take responsibility.
This was so eye opening, thank you for creating these interviews. I hope this makes an impact on how we move forward as a country
Most portuguese people are actually unaware that Portugal's drug consumption is decriminalized, it's just so well organized and none of this zombie walking on the streets.
Not my experience in Lisbon. Plenty of zombies on the street. Just not homeless ones.
Me and my boyfriend wanted go on holiday in Portugal but we change mind and decided go to another country not because of drugs decriminalisation we never knew this is exist in Portugal ❤
@@ramintaurbonaite9030 Why would we want to know this 😐
I'm portuguese, we are aware of it, we are proud of it, we bring it up with people from other countries all the time because we're so proud of it.
The Netherlands goes like this 🇳🇱: On January 1, 2023, there were an estimated 30.6 thousand homeless people. A year earlier this was still approximately 26.6 thousand. The research is based on 18 to 65 year olds. It ISN'T easy for the homeless people in the Netherlands (MOST are Dutch, born in the Netherlands!) to get shelter at all. There are only very few shelters from CBS and those few are only located in the big cities like Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Den Haag...Yes there are certain programs where homeless people could get help but these so called "systems" are broken and corrupted as can be, making it an almost impossible task to succeed! They don't treat these people their trauma's, so it's HIGHLY likely they will relapse. ONLY "therapy" to get off the substances and then just throwing them outside again WITHOUT FURTHER SUPPORT, will OF COURSE FAIL! Most CAN'T succeed. People please don't spread false information about this subject because it will harm a lot of people. Do your research first before you'll leave a comment on here. Due to the current inflation and governments, A LOT more people will become homeless. It could happen to anyone, especially those whom don't have any family/support system and even though people COULD get government benefits...that amount of money is NEVER sufficient to pay the lowest of the lowest monthly fixed charges/bills! The government benefits are less than half than the minimum income needed for the lowest monthly fixed bills!! Some will live in their car but that counts as homeless. Everyone whom doesn't have an address, is homeless. Much love 🙏🏻🫶🏼❤️ from the Netherlands.
The guy he interviewed who teared up when reflecting on the emotional aspect of this addiction problem is truly touching. If more people had such a heart of gold, what a great change we may be able to make collectively.
Love is usually the best and only answer to such problems.
as a former addict (10 years sober this summer) it was refreshing to hear a addict in this interview say you basically have to stop saving these people. you Have to want to stop, for yourself. it’s the Only way to get out of the cycle. this was a great video thank you ❤
Well done mate!
And with the right people around you and in the right situation and support.
Buddy what ur doing is very good and i wish you all the best for your life ahead. But just a suggestion that i wanna share. Please dont label the clean period as 10 years 11 years instead say forever that will impact you phychologically and help you to be clean forever
13:50 the guys not wrong. He’s actually on to something. He said it best “the problem will take care of itself”
Letting people die does not stop drug use😭. People need help not left to die.
Have always taken this channels stories with a big pinch of salt until now.
This was actually done well, you didn't seem to show any bias and just went around asking the people of each community about their different countries approaches to this issue etc and I have to say good on you Tyler and team. You got my respect on this video.
It really showed a maturing in attitude and a straight up raw and honest approach with no personal beliefs and bias twisting the narrative. Keep it up and you could really make a more long term and importantly respected career in journalism or whatever field you continue on into. Didn't take you seriously until now, but after this vid, I'm keeping an eye out to see how you continue on from here.
The honest and "real" work is always so much more rewarding at the end of day and will always be better than the more sensational pieces that want drama and excitement first and facts later.
You live, you learn, and you grow!
I was born in Portugal but grew up in Portland for most my childhood. One major cultural difference is that after HS, kids in Portland (and the US in general) often go to college or leave home in some capacity, while in Portugal they often live at home through college and until they are stable enough to move out and start their own families. I think this stability in transitioning from adolescence to adulthood helps decrease the chances that they turn to or get exposed to hard drugs to begin with.
Meanwhile, in the US, many more 18,19, and 20 years olds are trying to figure things out on their own, often without any direction or parental guidance or the means to make ends meet. Plus, Portland already had an existing drug problem. Combine a city with a lot of drugs and a lot of higher-risk drug users and then eliminate drug laws…. Yes that’s a recipe for disaster
Yes! I agree. Plus academia will actually attack strong families, especially conservative ones. They are ridiculed, are forced to pretend that they are leftists, etc
Family is everything for most cultures. The number one reason that the US is floundering is because families are no longer strong or healthy.
That’s spot on explanation
Americans over complicate their lives by leaving their parents home so soon
@@MeowK-ultra fr
You make sense, for me , my parents are addicts and by 13 I was on my own, I became an addict and waisted all my 20s in prison. I started getting on my feet and made changes and learned valuable things in my 30s. I'm 40 and a very late bloomer in life.
I'm a perfect example how your statement is so true.if I had that stability and positive environment until I got mature enough to live on my own, make a living, etc... I know the results definitely would have been different. But today I'm happy. I have a beautiful wife (for 14years) and 2 boys and I learned valuable things from my own experiences and way before I ever read your comment/reply, me and my wife Decided to encourage our boys to be on there feet with a solid foundation before they even think about moving on. At least I hope they listen. I hear alot of parents tell there kids "when your 18 your on your own"etc... and I always felt like 18 is too immature and too young for many responsibilities. (Not everyone,there is always exceptions, but for the most part) Like I also feel 16 is too young for someone to operate a motor vehicle (just my opinion) and where I'm from that's the minimum age for a driver's license. The way I think now and when I was a young man is wayyyyyyy different. It's like I'm 2 different people from then to now, but in the same body. But now much wiser.
Sorry so much typing, your comment gave me a lot to say and I couldn't agree with you more
I was a public defender in the US for over 8 years, and one thing I learned is that the vast majority of addicts want to get better. They don't want to live the way they are living. Of course, most of the conversations were at the local jail. Clients would legitimately tell me about how they wanted to be sober when they get out, get a job, be better parents, etc. However, once they get out of jail (or prison), the resources just aren't there. If you go back to the same living situation you were in while you were an addict, it is only a matter of time before relapse. Treatment professionals often say you need to change your "people, places, and things" to be successful, and there is a lot of truth to that. However, that is easier said than done with the resources made available. I am not even mentioning the complicating factor that many addicts have underlying mental health issues that continue to go untreated so they continue to self-medicate. For-profit rehabs are not the solution, and we have closed many of our state hospital. It is a f**king mess here in the USA.
And in all that time it never occurred to you that they were lying to you to tell you what you wanted to hear?
@@amelliamendel2227they could’ve been but it’s also hella true what she’s saying. Most ppl do want to get better
Not to mention people think when you get multiple years of sobriety under your belt, you never think positively about it again. Thats very not true. Some people the longer sober they are the more they romanticize it. And things like life circumstances change it drastically.
its unfortunate that people want to get better despite what some people in tyler's videos suggesting otherwise. However the solution (at least what Dennie Lahey has said) is free housing, non profit, financial support, psychiatric support, which is almost unamerican and will have too much backlash for it to exist in usa. There will be too many people saying that theyre "wasting tax dollars on junkies"
@@kylee2458 Citation needed, I think they just want to enjoy their lives in a different way then what's considered 'normal'. In case you didn't know, drugs feel really really good and I don't see how prioritizing that over a car payment, a mortgage, a career, ect isn't just as valid a way to live your life if you choose to. Personally, I'd 100% rather die on the street with a crippling addiction than waste away in a nursing home or in hospice just waiting to die while being miserable, alone, and forgotten. Like seriously if I got a cancer diagnosis I'd be on my way to Portland to have the absolute very best time possible with my time remaining and I don't see anything wrong with that, in fact it should be my right (in a free country.) Maybe the 9-5 grind just isn't for them, who says that's the 'right way' to live their life. Seriously, it's never been my experience that someone who wants help doesn't ask for it. It just seems to be the same thing that motivated the settlers to tell the First Nations People they weren't living their life Christian enough and needed to have their children taken away from them and sent to good Christian schools where they could learn to work in 'normal society' and get jobs.
One guy nailed it. Drug addiction is big business for many agencies so while they claim to be providing support they are actually encouraging it.
I was a daily fentanyl user, 30 pills a day + Fetty powder on top of that. Addiction for 13 years. Only thing that got me to stop was when I went to prison for a crime I committed while fucked up. Was a MAJOR wake up call. Hate to say it, but they gotta realize their actions have consequences. Although, prison ain’t gonna solve everything. NOBODY is gonna get clean until they want to. It’s a very nuanced, tricky thing to try and solve unfortunately😕
So was that a cold turkey sobering up? Or did they provide you with MAT? Good for you!! Opiates are so difficult to quit
Let me ask. This seems like a personal choice to get out of drug use, so do you think counseling/ rehab works too? Seems that even though users are told to stop, they continue to do until something really traumatic really happens to them.
Thank you for sharing this!
Oh man, I know your withdrawal was bad. Congrats on staying clean. Opiates are the devil.
@@Emzzz78 He probably sobered up cold turkey. Jails and prisons are not good at giving medical care.
This was really good. I’m about a quarter in and don’t know if you have an agenda or not. You’re just asking people what they experience and letting them voice what they believe from that experience. And I’m hearing a lot of compassion in their voices. This is like journalism. Great job.
He's mostly unbiased, which is pretty rare. And yes, he is a homemade journalist
Agenda is bashing America while getting rich here
Lmao he is a scumbag who is loosely considered a journalist after infamously getting into a beef with Mark Laita over who can better exploit a mentally and generically deficient family known as the Whittakers. Nothing more.
The politicians in Portugal that don’t want anarchy and chaos are probably in the majority. In Portland the overwhelming majority of Politicians WANT what is happening. They don’t want to stop it, they want to make it worse. heard about Pepellio 🐸? love it
You just contradicted yourself brother. They wanted them to be legal so they can control us in the end when America is a full dystopia . It's all an agenda
When people are weak is when you can control them
@@eazythetruth yup and that is why they are doing bs rn
hospitals make a killing
Never attribute to malice what can be attributed to stupidity. Whenever something bad happens people automatically assume it's some sort of conspiracy. The reality is that it's wrong to expect people who are good at politics to be good at governing. The two are completely separate skills. People assume politicians have total control, so whenever something goes bad, it must be malicious. For what purpose would the overwhelming majority of politicians want what is happening?
Portuguese person here, I'm currently 5:30 in to the video but I think the big difference between the results of Portugal's legislation Vs Portland's is down to the existence of a national health care system. In Portugal you don't just have state-run safe facilities and nurses doing rounds on the streets providing clean supplies (including drugs that have been tested and aren't cut with anything) but you also have free long term therapy with a psychologist that is trained specifically to do CBT focussed on addiction, free detox treatments and free inpatient facilities. Granted the inpatient facilities aren't free forever, but it's a start and outpatient care doesn't have an end date. When the government has a national health care system, it's not just up to the people to get clean, you have whole teams who's purpose is going out there and keep on reminding people that the government is here to help, not imprison and that it's not just decriminalisation, it's also an active system that seeks for the people who need help
I lived in Portland for the last 8 years. The man in the wheelchair said it best. These programs are only just beginning to do the right things. The questions definitely should point to city government on financial management, there are some severe issues. Along with ppb union issues that divide the community. Most people want decriminalization but are severely disappointed at how funds were spent to support it. Things like, cleaning up trash vs providing housing and counseling. Plus, there are definitely repeat abusers that should be jailed for things like public indecency, littering, public urination/defecation, rape,… selling laced drugs. Being able to do drugs shouldn’t mean making the bad choices you make while high legal… streets are unsafe for children, anyone, to walk around. everyone is wild on Pepellio 🐸 yeah
Yh thats wild
bot
Yeah the thing i see over and over again is Portland didn't have any/enough treatment. Decriminalization in theory should work like repealing prohibition, but not when people can't get help to stop...
Getting “pissed” about public urination sounds like someone who has never been homeless and needed to use the bathroom.
Decriminalization of drugs, of deviancy, and of crime is the reason why people are shutting down their businesses and abandoning leftist/Democrat cities.
I was a first responder for the homeless community in Portland, OR for 2 years (the street response the gentleman mentioned). I quit less than a year ago. I saw too many dead bodies, active crimes and...kids, under 9, selling fentanyl for their parents. Unfortunately, working on lots of dead bodies while their kids watched and hoped for better. I got too traumatized. Had to quit. The street response agency we worked for, we are bound by laws that prevent us from acting like police officers or fire and rescue. People hated us, but in reality we'd get threatened with being fired if we tried to use narcan or go hands on. This city, something is very WRONG
i went to new orleans back in the mid-90s. i was surprised at the number of homeless people i saw and how many were young kids. some only looked 10 or 12 years old, i hope that they have solved these issues.
new orleans was a real experience. almost like visiting a foreign country, only no passport needed.
2014 I watched a young girl - 14-16 od and die on the trimet heading east towards Gresham … we tried to help and … didn’t matter. The thing that will never leave my mind about that instance was the first responders who showed up … and the med just shaking his head because he knew before he even checked that it was pointless and this was probably his 5th one this week
Downtown portland is some of the worst, I’ve seen a bunch of druggies nearby schools, once I saw some dude climb a fence after school hours to dump a bunch of needles on a slide. My mother has to go into Portland a lot for medical reasons, and she always carries a gun on her, never rolls down her windows, and locks the doors. Everyone who lives in Portland needs a dashcam or facecam for their cars. Thank god I live in the country.
Portugal has a different culture of support systems, communities, and commercialism. If you have more supportive families and resources, free healthcare, and housing opportunities; then of course you will have a different outcome than Portland.
And this all goes without saying more "fetty" is being shipped to Mexican cartels than Europe and being smuggled to a large population that the pharmaceutical industry got hooked off of pills over previous decades.
This was a terrific episode Tyler. Europe/The Netherlands delt with the epidemic of drugs with compassion and as a health issue, instead of a criminal issue. It was Beautiful to see the way these people in Amsterdam spoke about helping this people with what they need in their life and giving them the drugs they are addicted to for free, so that they weren't spending most of their time in search of the drug
Well, most of Scandinavia and post-communist countries still put people to prisons for posession of weed. *posession*.
Tylerrific
Giving them free drugs? I can't even get any medicine to help w excruciating nerve pain because of people in my geographic location abusing them. Ri-damn-diculous We are fucking doomed!
@@jikook7457 well ideally both would happen. Also, the drugs should be free but they should be cheaper
@jikook7457 - I'm curious, did you watch the documentary? Like the whole thing?
This documentary almost made me cry. Ive been addicted to heroin for over 10 years and the stigma surrounding it is backbreaking. Most people wouldn't know looking at me as I have always been able to maintain a normal job, look somewhat put together and have achieved a lot, only recently after the umpteenth time of trying to get clean do i feel like i finally have a hold of it. This is a hellish way to live. I recently visited a major US city and saw homeless smoking off foil on a beautiful autumn day in front of a historical monument and the juxtaposition of the sad display of our nations resources to the historical monument in all its glory was jarring, but i felt blessed. I only hope for others to feel the same. ❤
The drug issue is multifaceted and there's no one-size-fits-all solution. But it's evident that pure decriminalization without adequate support and treatment systems in place can exacerbate the problem.
Agreed. Tyle's videos have shown this but it's easier for us to initially latch onto a one sized solution. Until we start to think about it a bit more deeply, that is.
I'd say the biggest problem is poverty. People become miserable and they turn to drugs. As well as social media massacring peoples social capacity.
@@xgamermudkip7154 Poverty is likely a contributing factor but even in the USA there are places with high poverty and low drug addiction. The same occurs overseas quite a bit so poverty itself isn't the biggest problem.
Poverty might serve as a nexus for many other issues but that's an important difference.
@@latetotheparty7551 because those places have a stronger sense of community and their cultures place more emphasis on things like empathy and care for one another. the overall culture in America is too individualistic
@@xgamermudkip7154bro it’s hella rich kids that do drugs tf you talking about. Most of these addicts come from middle class
quote of the year - ive had people cry because i was nice to them
That is actually quite sad. Brought tears to my eyes.
Was an opiate addict for 6 years. Getting clean was the most difficult part of my addiction. In my area, there’s very few places to help. The place here does not accept female patients, surrounding areas are booked months out. Quitting cold is scary, the withdrawals are no joke. There’s no way to work during that I’d lose my job. I was spending $600a week on that trash, my savings was at a stand still, and I knew if I kept going I would have drained it. I’m 8 months clean, was the hardest thing I ever went through. I enjoy music again, I have motivation to do my hobbies and dance, i cry at sad things again, I didn’t notice the drug stealing all that from me.. dont even try that stuff for fun especially if you have depression or anxiety, because you will love it and it will not love you, it’ll rob you of everything that makes you you, its all you will care about.
Very well said. Irish addict here in a country that's overrun with drugs with a government that has completely turned a blind eye to this epidemic. Its absolutely horrible to watch our tiny island country turn into a lying,thieving zombie nation.
If you don't mind me asking, how did you get clean?
I'm super proud of you.♥︎
I'm so proud of you. 🫂💛
5 years and I quit cold turkey no problems. Weak people find it hard.
@@TravisTheSavage liar
Thank you for making this video and spreading awareness around addiction. The way we treat drug addicts as a community here in America has never made sense to me. We’re so quick to incarcerate drug addicts, I feel that only sets one back rather than help any…
An hour long Tyler Oliveira video. Way to bless our Sunday with non biased investigative journalism, Tyler.
Morning it’s 8:30 pm!!
@@Turkey12457 theyre probably in a different timezone
is the non biased sarcasem, the one thing I don't like about him is he is so confrontational I would not like to be confronted by him.
Jesus can really bless your Sunday!
He is a gem ✝️✝️✝️
I kicked my fentanyl addiction 6 months ago. I am so thankful that I got to tell my daughter, Laken Hope Riley... The nursing student that was murdered back in February at UGA in Athens, Ga. Her death made national headlines and brought so many amazing people into my life. Had I not gotten clean before my little angel was taken from us, I would not be here today to tell my story. Knowing she is looking down on me has given me the strength and motivation to continue in my recovery. I hope she is proud of me and just wish she was still here to be a part of my journey.
My addiction started with a prescription of Percocet 10yrs ago, then went to the street to get my pills after the doc cut me off. Things went sideways when a "friend" (sarcasm) introduced me to heroin. I spent the last 3yrs on fentanyl and did not miss a single day because I was so terrified of going through detox. Finally, broken and tired of living my life as a slave to opiate addiction, I asked God to send his son so he could wrap his arms around me and save me from the evil that had consumed my life. I pray every night for all those still suffering from opiate addiction and hope I can 1 day help others beat this horrible addiction. It IS possible, you just have to get through that month of hell when you first quit. Until we change the way society and law enforcement treat people in addiction, we will continue to see this opioid problem grow. The detox centers here in Georgia only keep people coming on fentanyl for 5-7 days. Unfortunately, days 3-10 are the worst so soon as they let people out, they are gonna go straight back to using to relieve the horrible symptoms. At 21-24 days you finally start feeling a little better but full recovery can take up to 3mo. This was what I experienced and had to go through it twice cause I relapsed after 3 weeks before finally getting clean on my 2nd try. Just don't give up... God bless those still suffering and their families.
Just know she is very proud of you and so am i. Kicking addiction is one of the hardest things someone can do and you did it! She’s may not be here physically anymore but just know her spirit will always be with you. Energy never stops existing.
I'm so sorry for your loss. Your daughter was so beautiful, and I could tell she was a sweetheart. ❤
She lives on in you, that much I can tel
❤🤗
Portland decriminalization didn't create the epidemic drug problems, it exposed them for all to see. Portland business and homeowners unfortunately had to bear the brunt of the dramatic policy change, and their misfortune was harnessed as a political wedge.
It definitely made it grow significantly.
It's not just that it's more visible, there areany many more drug users, because its not faced with any sort of regulation.
Drugs are dangerous, obviously our social norms and legal norms need to treat it as if they pose risks for the individual as well as society.
They SHOULD be legal, but that doesn't mean you should get to do them in the street, sleep on the street, and buy drugs from criminal drug dealers.
👏👏
I spent years on the streets, homeless, shooting dope, crack, etc. The ENTIRE time, I had a maniacal nagging voice in my head that said "You're more than this, use your potential..." One day it was raining hard, my tarp tent behind home depot fell apart, I was sick, shivering, getting poured on. In that moment I looked up at the sky, I was sobbing but was able to pray "PLEASE HELP ME, please, whoever you are..." Rocking back and fourth, arms crossed, looking at the sky, soaked, I kept repeating it... The VERY SAME day, I was arrested for shoplifting from walmart. Got mandated to drug court, 6 months in jail, 12 months in residential rehabs. The magic happened when I started praying daily, I remember the EXACT DAY my demons left during a prayer, I couldn't quit crying uncontrollably & felt pure love, peace, serenity. I saw in that moment how everything was connected, spiritual, the beauty around me, the beauty in people, nature, love, etc... I was "tapped on the shoulder." So many aren't
That was July 27th, 2016, I've been straight since. Properties, business, bikes, vehicles, heavy equipment, toys, etc. If you want out, try asking for help from a higher power daily, I PROMISE you'll get it.
(Tears right now typing this, this thing is spiritual warfare, a demonic infestation.)
Portuguese living in US here: the difference is the culture, plain and simple. In Portugal you get raised in a public environment where wvery one has similar beliefs and values, and work/life balance is more relaxed. In the US the culture is more isolated, everyone is just taugh to get that bread from an early age, too many different opinions and beliefs, too much stress, everything leads to a way out.
My thoughts too -- it all comes down to culture. I don't know why they never bring this up
Individualism is a Double edged sword ….
I was thinking the same the United States is a wild culture we get to wild and crazy
Portugal, being one of the most homogeneous countries in the world, really has it's advantages.
I live in Portland Or, and it is incredibly terrifying just trying to walk across the street. Even as an adult, I feel extremely unsafe in these conditions. I’m so glad someone is finally reaching out about it.
The Netherlands (other countries of Europe too) goes like this 🇳🇱. Here most legal "depending on amount of said dr*g" a person has on him/her and that's a problem. Who's allowing it for those making and distributing it?! It's deliberatly being done.... ONLY SOMETIMES news will be shered they found a dr*g house and all cleared it 🙄🤷🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️ pretending they focus on such things. Come on, they're in on it. Money is the root of all evil. Same correct? : On January 1, 2023, there were an estimated 30.6 thousand homeless people. A year earlier this was still approximately 26.6 thousand. The research is based on 18 to 65 year olds. It ISN'T easy for the homeless people in the Netherlands (MOST are Dutch, born in the Netherlands!) to get shelter at all. There are only very few shelters from CBS and those few are only located in the big cities like Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Den Haag...Yes there are certain programs where homeless people could get help but these so called "systems" are broken and corrupted as can be, making it an almost impossible task to succeed! They don't treat these people their trauma's, so it's HIGHLY likely they will relapse. ONLY "therapy" to get off the substances and then just throwing them outside again WITHOUT FURTHER SUPPORT, will OF COURSE FAIL! Most CAN'T succeed. People please don't spread false information about this subject because it will harm a lot of people. Do your research first before you'll leave a comment on here. Due to the current inflation and governments, A LOT more people will become homeless. It could happen to anyone, especially those whom don't have any family/support system and even though people COULD get government benefits...that amount of money is NEVER sufficient to pay the lowest of the lowest monthly fixed charges/bills! The government benefits are less than half than the minimum income needed for the lowest monthly fixed bills!! Some will live in their car but that counts as homeless. Everyone whom doesn't have an address, is homeless. Much love 🙏🏻🫶🏼❤️ from the Netherlands.
That's liberals for you
@@th-cc6eiyou moron if you would just watch the video that you're commenting on right now you would see how that's the people who are actually solving the problem is people who are looking at it properly as a healthcare crisis we didn't even leave the criminalize it for 2 years we gave it no time to take any effect and we also didn't do the other stuff that's required to solve the problem we're going to go back to making it illegal like it is everywhere else and we're going to have the same exact problem because we never do what's required to solve the problem we just keep doing stuff that makes no sense because our gut reaction is that for some reason keeping it illegal is going to fix the problem like it's ever fixed any problem in history. Keep failing and experience the negative effects as it spirals out of control destroying everything and everyone.
That is why europe has none of these problem while being significantly more liberal than the us......../s@@th-cc6ei
@@th-cc6ei not really a liberal thing its just an american thing
Awesome work!! I've been clean for 4 years. I owe it all to the people who helped me. Not the ones who thought punishment was the answer.. wich for me was over 20 years of being treated like a criminal. Kudos to you for educating people about the HEALTH crisis. Because that's all it is.. a public health issue.. Thankyou
Excellent work ! very complete coverage of this horrible problem !
The quality of a society is based on how you treat the people who are marginalized. That’s deep
R/Im14ThisIsDeep
*Shallow AF.
"The quality of your society is based on how you treat people that are marginalized " - long hair guy
Best quote of the whole thing
Absolutely
Faxx😊
This country is not going to get better. People here do not value other human beings
@@SentientNebula Huge country depends on where you live.
I'm really impressed at how compassionate the people in Portland that were interviewed were, even the ones that were against decriminalisation. They sympathised with the addicts situation even though public drug use negatively impacts their lives.
They sounded like Typical selfish Americans. me me me
I’m glad you see the compassion. We don’t hate them. We pity them and want to help them because drug addiction affects everyone at every level even if you aren’t an addict yourself
Liberal hell hole ... Funny as
Compassion gets nowhere with this.
People think handing 5 dollars to the asshole who’s allowing his dog to burn up in the sun… is a good thing.
Most people have no idea what’s going on outside.
Leave your car there for 10 min unattended that compassion aint going to come to good use.
EVERY addiction starts with trauma or mental illness… you MUST tackle both issues combined with the substance use to truly help someone …..
this, plus housing. i think housing first then mental health. if you don’t have a place to call home then you’re naturally going to be struggling mentally
Been a herion addict for 7 years. Glad my country had a good recovery program. Been clean from it for almost 4 years now. Recently quit smoking weed to. My life is alot better now
I was with you up until you had to throw Marijuana under the bus, hardly a comparison to heroin, nowhere near the same ballpark
@@Sigmatic_Empathistit can be an addiction tho
@@Hampterninso can food but you don't see anyone robbing ice cream stands or dispensaries at gunpoint, it doesn't have the same impact on daily life you don't get so sick without weed you would sell your most precious possessions for a fraction of their worth just to feel better
@@anthonyaia423 maybe not at gunpoint but people do steal food lmao
@@anthonyaia423 my point is that it can be an addiction and it does have an impact lol it affects everyone differently. Maybe try getting information on it?
I’m Portuguese and even if drugs are legal here we still view drug use as a bad thing
I mean alcohol and cigarette are legal almost all country but it still view as bad.
Ya bro é nojento
Because it is.
I mean we still view drugs as a crime although they are “legal” which many people don’t know and that’s a good thing
Mas nós não tem cá fentanyl. Havia de ser uma bela merda
Hey there, portuguese guy here. I'm an avid fan of Tyler's journalism and have been following his work for years. Portugal decriminalizes drug use to a certain extent. If you're caught in possession of a certain amount of drugs, you will be arrested. Even if you have some drugs within the limits, you'll still be fined and registered. People arrested for drug trafficking face harsher criminal penalties than some murders and violent robberies. It's all very nice when it's said with the right words
Well, in fact the drug use is decriminalised, however drug distribution, and possession over a certain limit are not, simple as that. I don't think anything that was said in this video was "painted pink", they just didn't speak about this part.. But I do agree with you that this should have been brought up, because it is a big factor in the whole strategy, which still looks at drug use as a health problem from the user's perspective, while it looks at drug trafficking as a crime problem, which I honestly think is an important distinction to make.
@@MaryannaPoppins yap, you're right. It has to be emphasized that the use of drugs may be a crime but the possession and consumption of drugs outside the defined level are not. This is the main thing that everyone should take note of. One of the ways the issue of drug use and drug trafficking is different is that, while the former is treated as a health problem, the latter is seen as a criminal act. All these details need to be discussed to provide a correct view of this arrangement
This video made me cry. I am a recovering addict. Have been clean for 3 yrs now after being incarcerated for one year then a 6 mnth rehab with the help of harm reduction/ Sublocade monthly shot. The way that addicts are treated here in the U.S. is heartbreaking. It is true that they are treated as junk or garbage. It is a failing system, controlled by greed and profit with no hope for humanity
this is actually insane. i live in portland and seen some homeless people in this video. i hope this state and country gets better. great video tyler.
That “If you die in public, you should go to rehab.” Line hit the hardest.
Legalizing street drugs is the equivalent of giving a drunk a bottle of rum and expecting positive results. Maybe the people making these decisions are doing drugs, nonsense.
@@marknagle-vi7og Better to legalise drugs and provide people with free, safe equipment to use and the right education than for them to further endanger their health by pushing them away and stigmatising their choices. It's about providing clear opportunities and incentives to get clean and stay that way.
as an ex-stoner, separating cannabis from the market is key
80% of the population would be satisfied with those cafe's
learn to write coherently sounding sentences
@@daathgnosis2098 I have no idea what you're on, but those two sentences look completely fine to me
@daathgnosis2098 is that a joke? Your syntax and verb conjugation is atrocious
Weed is not a drug that should be illegal lmao it is much safer than alcohol and other legal drugs by far and very little side affects
@@daathgnosis2098huh what huh ?
Thank you for the video. Very well made and a very good neutral narration.
Im portuguese, and also live in Portugal if u decide to come again to Portugal or maybe even the city of Porto would be a pleasure to help you out talking to the people on the streets! Love your channel man keep it up!
Genuine question - if someone with money, American, wanted to retire there, to use to clean heroin (which is non existent in US) is that an option? Do the laws apply to immigrants too? Also does the decriminalization result in clean drugs or are yours as bad as ours?
@@johnathanlatman2507 I think you gotta search for that information because I dont know exactly how the law works on that particular case, but even if you are emigrant and the law doesnt aply here you can get the nationality in a few years, quite easily, about the drugs out here I dont think they are like the best in terms of quality but we dont have like fent so here you dont get that bad drugs if you know what I mean. But again Im not the best persone to educate you on that because Im not into that, but one thing I know for sure is that Portugal is a beautiful country where you have everything since country side to beach, so I recommend spending here your retirement just like madona did, also because if you have some money you can live pretty good here
@@johnathanlatman2507 Why TF are you retiring just to do heroin....
Im portuguese.. ex user 20 years on heroína and coca you can find all on Lisboa, but white heroin is hard to find.. god brown and opium is all around and top coca. If you get cougt here you can have smal amouth for use like 5 to 10 days amouth, if you have residence you are tretetd like a nacional person or slap and go away maximu go to center 1time ... But now ir you have the € chose life my friend.. (sorry my bad English)@@johnathanlatman2507
@@itsnotthat_ well it’s more of a long term plan for me than an immediate need . I do appreciate you lol. Got a bit more work to do here first. So about the cleanliness and quality of the product, does the decriminalization mean way better quality? or not? Again thanks for your answer
Just hit like 4 months sober not too long ago. This was never a solution. They legalized everything without the resources for people to get better. This was a culling. My heart goes out to all of these people still struggling. You can recover.
I'm a recovering addict and prison saved my life. It sucked, and took years from my life, but I'd be dead if I hadn't gotten caught. My brother passed from an OD and my dad would come visit me and say "I'm glad I'm coming to visit you in prison and not at your grave". Weed charges do clog up the court system. I don't believe ALL drugs should be criminalized, but hard drugs absolutely have to have consequences for selling and possessing.
I was a heroin addict for a long time, and I'm a first generation Portuguese american. I've been raving about portuguese drug policy for over a decade. Thank you so very much for making this video. The people who run the US don't care about the well-being of its citizens, and I think it will be a long time until we make any real changes.
change will start as soon enough people are voting for the politicians that want to help people. Too many people are voted into office who were born into corruption and chose to live in corruption (e.g no. 45).
Stop voting for people based on hope they look or how they make you feel. Vote on people based on their policies and for those who have appear held office or appeared in the public eye, based on their track record. Don’t make excuses for public figures who mistreat people (again, e.g no. 45).
The US need to put people first. Not only some people. All people in America. Allow for trials to see what is working to help people. Refund the programs in place to help people who are suffering.
Stop polarizing humanitarian relief.
Stop bailing out rich businesspeople who are in financial ruin because of illegal or irresponsible business choices. Put that money into helping the suffering instead.
Especially those who call themselves Christian. Jesus was the lord of the poor, the suffering. He was outraged by rich religious people. By rich churches.
He spent his whole life uplifting the needy. Start living in Christ if you will call yourself a Christian.
@@emilygoogle6520 Whilst I agree with you, I don't think the USA is capable of changing the way you describe quickly enough (worst still they are exporting that selfish mindset through multiple media etc. with the fetishistic worship of big business). It has taken many, many decades of indoctrination and that cannot be undone in a few years.
A great example of this is the more 'thoughtful'* objection to free tax funded healthcare that is "Why should I pay for someone else's treatment?" (Well ignoring that the USA claims to be a christian country and the whole good Samaritan/helping others thing.) That statement just shows a complete lack of understanding of how insurance works, your premiums are doing exactly that, and feeding the insurance company stockholders and big pharmaceutical companies profits/shareholders.
*By 'thoughtful' I mean not the stupid knee-jerk reaction of blurting out the "but that's communism!" trope.
some of them might, but the people really in charge (giant corporations and lobbies) certainly don't
there are no real choices in U.S. corruption is everywhere
Such a great video. This is what journalism should look like!
46:13 as an addict/alcoholic in recovery this little had me tearing up. The whole video has. I’m fortunate enough to live in MA, where we have many resources for addicts, homeless, etc.. I had a loving family waiting for me and I cannot stress enough how vital human kindness and acceptance was to my sobriety. ❤❤❤ 01/11/21 We do recover.
And unfortunately that's what we lack here. Caring and empathy
Amazing, as a formal addict I can attest that most of what they say and do are very true and make sense. God bless these people that genuinely try to help and care for others that are struggling ❤
In other countries that have done this they have extensive resources available instead of jail. They put them in programs and housing that actually help them change their lives. They didn't just decriminalize it and let the addicts run free like they did in Portland.
Like the one dude said there's plenty of other places in the US that are just as bad as Portland that never decriminalized. So that's probably not the actual problem or solution.
They should be in jail. They all commit crime to buy the drugs.
@@BabyJesus66 they can easily clean up the streets and help people, they just dont, almost like they want it like this,.. hmmmm
@@mumsspaghetti6649 It shouldn't be jail in my opinion, it should be similar though in that they aren't allowed to leave the facility. It should be a place focused specifically on drug rehabilitation free of charge and for the first year the patients cannot leave the facility and then the next year are put on strict probation only being allowed to leave for work. There is no rehabilitation in US prisons it's just a cage where you get tortured.
Exactly!!!!!
tyler is so real for covering actually important topics like these
He covers it but tells half-truths. There's better sources for this type of coverage than him.
@@stacefacemarie any suggestions?
The most salient point, no matter we try nothing will stop people using drugs. Stabilizing people who use by supplying pharmaceutical grade safe doses along with supportive services to help people to rehabilitate their lifestyles would lead to more lives reclaimed and more lives saved
I absolutely agree with you. People are going to get it anyway. The solution is what you said. Make it safe and controlled so they can at least be alive and have a chance to kick it….
hi, portuguese student here! I am currently studing at portugal red cross (lisbon pole) witch is exactly on the street you visited, Avenida de ceuta (casal da cabrinha). I dont think i have ever seen so many drugged people in my life until i went to college. I live far from lisbon so i need to take public transportation and i can tell that the bus line carris 756 is one of the most disgusting things in the world. Its a mix of turists coming/going to belém, students and families who need to deal with people under influence in one small bus. In my college we have a class where studens go to the neighborhood and practice, in way of improving skills and helping the community. Some of the videos you passed we can see blue jacked therapists, wich leads me to believe, they are physiotherapy students or already licensed PT. The problem is definitly not solved. People are just being pushed to social houses on a less turistic side of lisbon. And the security of us students, families (not the drug addicts, the ones who cant afford better) and turists is being threatned. Not a great place to have a college but definitly a new experience every day. Either way, great video and keep going!
Crazy how many Portlandians don't understand that enablement isn't loving people, you are helping them destroy themselves to appear virtuous
Did you actually watch the hole video? Data has clearly proved that by safely facilitating and giving people the option for full rehabilitation, works better then then punishing and forcing.
What is better, someone going into public toilets and being high on the street and possibly being found dead somewhere. Or having a centre where there is professionals ready to step in if you OD? They will also educate and assist you with getting help when you feel ready. Throwing someone into rehab against there wishes simply won't work. They need help overcoming what makes them use drugs in the first place, and that can take some people a long time. You mite only be there for 3 to 6 months.
Supply the drug and supply the help, if you have never been an addict the you have no idea of what may work or what won't
@@LG1ikLx no its time to quit defending the policy that caused this. youre seeing the effect RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU, but youd rather grandstand. your selfish virtuous policy isnt fking working. grow tf up=
But that's what they do in europe
@@moniho6907 No, here there are free treatment and rehabs.
As a person who has 30 years in recovery , it bothers me that as much as I've learned about ADDICTION & RECOVERY , what I don't see ANYBODY doing is working on the idea of PREVENTION . For the younger generation there has got to be some guidance on how to cope with your emotions minus the use of narcotics . I think times are slightly better than when I grew up ( in the 60's & 70's ) where NOBODY sought or got mental health services , even though we were ALL in need in one way or another . However , there is obviously much more work to be done . We must teach , from an early age how to cope with our emotions in a healthy , productive manner .
The problem is we're too stupid and selfish to look that far ahead
Inobody has community. Online ones don't count. I think that's one of the key aspects behind AA and church. The gathering and being apart of a community.
on prevention: its apparent that the business owned by the SACKLER family is responsible, and they pushed hard for their business to make the moves and take the actions it did because it expanded their WEALTH. it seems there are people (the SACKLER family being a part of this sub-set) whom are notorious for placing the accumulation of _all available resources_ for themselves, even when their share becomes more than what they can use in their own lifetime, is their _top priority_ . now, when there is a BLATANT and traceable genetic subspecies of people that relentlessly hound and scramble for every last penny despite the social or human cost, that seemingly over and over throughout history have caused significant damage and/or fallout due to their pathological obsession with the pursuit of wealth at _ANY_ cost (to themselves OR OTHERS, EVEN LIFE ITSELF) perhaps there should be an open discussion about the issue. every culture has its undesirable features: erosion of family unit, or casual dismissive attitude toward migration policies, or the disparate social standing of the sexes... or shameless racketeering around finance, media, agency and policy shaping purely to fortify their own folk (usually at the expense of other folk) no mater how much they might wail and shriek about 'persecution'. there comes a time when enough is enough.
@@notouchy Even 50 years ago I remember my Mother making comments about what people are in willing to do for the ALMIGHTY DOLLAR . Not only have things not changed but it's gotten SOOOO MUCH worse . Especially as Americans -- we are a society of extreme MATERIALISM while our morals , familial values , even basic manners fade away . The future looks so grim !!!
The only thing we had as children/teenagers was the DARE program
@23:32 “It’s a radio, you muppet!” is my new favorite one liner 🤣
It was so funny 😂
Bro I laughed my ass off
I knew someone would have a comment on that clip 😂
😂😂
Just came looking for this 😂
Been waiting for this! I like to think you saw some of my comments 😊
America doesn't see people struggling with addiction as people, they don't want to help them, they just want to get rid of them.
As we should. Their selfishness & greed for the high caused them their problems. Let's blame Guns & Bullets for throwing themselves at people killing them. Ban Forks for making people fat. It's all about choice.
@@novicenova Let me tell you something man. 10 years ago I was homeless, smoking crack, a general parasite on society. I got help, I got rehabilitated. I've been clean for 10 years. I serve the department of transportation by keeping our highway rest stops repaired and well maintained. That was all because I got the help I needed. We don't need hate man. We don't need death. We need empathy and understanding. We need to help, instead of get rid of. Other countries don't have these problems because they help, not dispose of.
How ignorant. You'd think you KNOW for a fact how their addictions started. Either way compassion helped me get sober. What kept me using was comments like yours. I chose to ignore it & got clean... My addiction started at birth pretty much. My mom never did drugs. I was born with a lot of medical issues & a rare condition that doctors didn't really detect for 25 years.. the pain from the nerves in my spine tethering was UNBEARABLE the pain meds were the only thing stopping me from commiting a self deletion. @@novicenova
That is not true. Hundreds of millions are spent on AA/NA programs directed towards users. America is the most generous country to ever exist.
@@TheMeatballMan420good, because in America you can be redeemed.
Wrong, America has empathy it always leds to enabling poor behavior. America needs balance and options/opportunities.
I lived in Portland for the last 8 years. The man in the wheelchair said it best. These programs are only just beginning to do the right things. The questions definitely should point to city government on financial management, there are some severe issues. Along with ppb union issues that divide the community. Most people want decriminalization but are severely disappointed at how funds were spent to support it. Things like, cleaning up trash vs providing housing and counseling. Plus, there are definitely repeat abusers that should be jailed for things like public indecency, littering, public urination/defecation, rape,… selling laced drugs. Being able to do drugs shouldn’t mean making the bad choices you make while high legal… streets are unsafe for children, anyone, to walk around.
Exactl😢! If you kill someone while high, its still murder, or it should be!
@@kimberiysmarketstrategy duh it is jeez
But couldn’t these problems have been foreseen? When I first heard about the decriminalizing of drugs, i predicted a lot of the same issues, it seemed like common sense. I don’t live in Portland so I don’t know the issue personally however
@@laurencestephenson1093 actually yeah. We pretty much steamrolled right through a terrible, unprepared plan from day one. The right programs were discussed, but not funded, and it would’ve helped mitigate all of it. I wasn’t lying about the issues in government in Portland, it’s the only reason decriminalizing failed.
I can't get enough of this channel, you are an amazing journalist. Keep up the great work!
That video ends way too brutally. Please atleast do a end or something. Great video! Loved it.
Looks like you’re growing up and learning ! I’m glad you are taking onboard the constructive criticism that was out there about you and seems like you had a wake up call and found a new passion. Keep showing us the shades of grey in journalism
The intelligence of the conversations Tyler had with people in Amsterdam was so much higher than the level of any conversation he has in the US
Its the food, europe's is of higher quality
Lololol.
@@j-5087 STUPID EUROPOOR RAHHHH 🦅🦅🦅
Americans eat brain dead frankenchemicals, ton of fast food and love it as they demand nothing better. Most food Americans eat is banned in every other country and can't be exported.
Tyler should have talked to American vegans, that's the only intelligent and smart people... Smart and intelligent enough to change what they eat and not let food addiction control them like every other American "it's too hard to go vegan" or "I love the taste of dead bodies too much".. not realizing meat and dairy in America is linked to all diseases and cancer
America claims to be the best, but I'd you actually study you'll see it's the worse especially when it comes to brainpower and intelligence of the people. They are laughing at Trump and Kamala
We need more RUclipsrs like this that are actually trying to help people and help solve our nations problems this guy is a fucking gem and he deserves so much support
This documentary is one of the most important ones you have done. Amazing work man!
Wow, Tyler even reads the new messages, cool (I also think it's one of his very best, although at first I thought it wasn't anything special)
This title is false. The drugs weren't legalized. If it was legalized that would mean being able to go into walgreens and buy codiene over the counter without a prescription.
Amazing video, really loved the interview with the Dr. João Goulão. Incredible perspective and approach to societal issues surrounding drug usage.
Having grown up in the presence of both addicts and alcoholics, I can pretty safely say that most people do these things to escape pain. Physical pain, emotional pain, it's all about Why they turn to these things.
I'm a recovering addict & you're absolutely right. Escaping pain & self medication of mental illness
I’m sorry you had to go through that but I know ppl who’ve never had to struggle and are full fledged drug addicts who only care about their next high so in the meantime ppl with Chronic pain will suffer
Everyone I know do hard drugs because they can and there addictive.. simple.
@@AbdulSufan-vt7nq are they addicts or just users? If casual users, then yes, you are mostly right. However. The majority of addicts become so for reasons other than simple access.
@@donnaflores2166 there are people who have never had to struggle? that's unbelievable!
Great information in this video. 15 years sober, change is possible.
Tyler the work you did here is amazing! Literally found the missing pieces to broken policies in the US, I very much hope this gets to our government and they will do the right thing.
he knows over 200 people that have died of OD? most of us don't know 20 people personally. this dude must really get around.
people typically know about 100 people on average if youre out and about you probably know a lot more, but hes probably not friends with them just knows of them
when i was actively using for 5 years at least 60 people i know died and fentynal aint a thing here so i can believe it
YOU don't know many people I guess, but you are NOT most people. Like the other commenter said, most people know around 100 people....actually, I think it's more like 150 average. It depends on your lifestyle and personality. Back when I used to like people, and I worked on the renaissance festival circuit, I knew hundreds of people fairly well. I'm kind of sick of people, and I'm a hermit now. The only people in my life are my (now adult) children.
Graduated hs in 2013 only 2 people out of 15 people I loved and cared about are gone it's more common than you think. Doesn't matter if you're rich or poor it destroys lives indiscriminately
hes the dealer prob
“The quality of a society is based on how you treat people who are marginalized”
What is meant by describing people as marginalized? Do you mean low income? Or does it mean mentally ill? Because drug use isn’t a poor person thing it’s people of all incomes including millionaires.
@@ijusthis-hr7yg it is pretty well-understood what marginalized means, sociopolitically
Tyler, thank you for such thorough investigating and reporting. I appreciate you bringing light to all of the challenges of substance abuse and homelessness. More so, I appreciate you showing basic human kindness and decency to people suffering from these conditions. Keep up the awesome work.
Good job bro, great video! I learned about this through the book "Chasing the Scream."
I was first very impressed with the Dutch approach. Both of the professionals you interviewed were well informed and compassionate in their approach. I live in Vancouver, BC where there is a program that provides free herion through Providence Health but I believe it is a small circulation. Our streets are overrun by the ill effects of drug use which are often not mentioned when people claim it is a 'victimless crime' such as property crime and homelessness.
The interview with the two Portuguese professionals tied it all together. Demonstrated the necessity of a full psycho-social model that works on many domains rather than just the addressing the act of addiction alone.
Great video., thank you. Very well done!
Portuguese here, it's 100% because of the lack of treatment.
Portugal has plenty of places to get treated, and actively has an atmosphere that promotes against overdosing, all of which Portland and other similar cities lack.
Totally. It's a completely different scene in the U.S. It's messed up.
I've read that the drugs over there are not contaminated, You see drugs in the U.S and Canada are laced with deadly toxic chemicals, like fentanyl and xylazine that are so easy to overdose on or be seen walking around in a zombie like state, These chemicals are so strong that even when ther are revived from overdosing they simply do not care they almost died and are shooting up with the Same poison just hours later, So in a nut shell it's so strong that most cannot be reasoned with and refuse offered help and treatment and choose to live on the street until they die, so am I right that that these deadly chemicals are not in Portugal so addicts more approachable to options of treatment...
Wait, tourists actually visit Portland...on purpose?
And Portugal too, it’s a backwards world 💀
I was in portland in 2017 for a work trip. It was actually pretty nice. But I know it went down hard especially after 2020.
Zombie tourism
@@porschefanatic1049 pre-Floyd would have been closer to paradise, they had not started eating their own, plus Trump was at the helm.
Portugal is pretty nice imo
Tanking the drug market seems like something worth thinking about... Like they did with heroin in Amsterdam. Giving addicts, that can't quit, pure drugs, clean stuff for using and do research to find less harmful ways to use and then tell the addicts... Might save quite a few lives.
Of course we want everyone to not even try, and to quit as soon as possible, but if they can help most addicts get a good life, help with their problems, and that's what get them to succeed in quitting... Those who get their clean stuff won't need to buy it from some sketchy guy, get poisoned by stuff mixed in with the drugs, be less sick and don't have to do whatever to get their drugs...
The drug dealers won't be interested, if they don't have a market to sell to. And most of that drug goes away?
Maybe the drugs can be decriminalized, but the other crimes they're committing while on the drugs still need to be dealt with.
What happened to littering, public nuisance, public intoxication, loitering, etc....?
I agree!
yes
Loietering?
@@garygriffin3647 Loietering?
That's easy... Defunding the police! Wtf did people think would happen? If you don't punish the smaller crimes properly it becomes easier to commit the larger. For that you need a police and emergency service not on it's knees. A court system that is accessible and lacking in corruption and properly trained judges. What I can tell you from experience about dutch police is they are lovely and helpful but if you put other people in danger or misbehave in front of children they will not hesitate to stomp your ass. But they never draw their weapons unless fired upon. Strong competent policing without it nothing can improve.