"In 1999, a few years prior to decriminalization, Portugal had the highest number of drug-related AIDS cases in the European Union and the second highest prevalence of HIV among drug-infected users.¹²⁷ The number of drug-related AIDS cases was also increasing, even though the number was decreasing in neighboring France, Spain, and Italy.¹²⁸ Research suggests that drug-related disease has declined in Portugal after decriminalization. Incidences of HIV and AIDS among drug users declined substantially.¹²⁹ The number of tracked cases of Hepatitis C and B in treatment centers also declined, despite the fact that many more drug users sought treatment after decriminalization took effect.¹³⁰
"Drug-related mortality in Portugal has also declined since decriminalization. During the 1990s, the number of drug-related deaths multiplied tenfold.¹³¹ Between 1999 and 2003, however, there was a significant drop in drug-related deaths within the country.¹³² Drug policy experts credit this decline to the increasing number of heroin users who entered substitution treatment programs after decriminalization.¹³³"