And yet the architect of the Portuguese anti-drug response explains how the courts and police are used to enforce this "decriminalized" system.

Vancouver has taken away the police's ability to confiscate a drug that has just killed someone, or to arrest the dealer. This is directly opposite of what Portugal does, dishonestly borrowing the words without their original meaning or critically the other 90% of the Portuguese response like actual rehab in a drug-free society.

That's great, you should take it up with them. Like I said you can call it whatever you want, but to quibble with the common name and the one used it all references to it - you're probably fighting the wrong fight, or at least with the wrong target.

It's the common lie, not the common name. I'll take it up with whoever uses it by showing them how it's not true. Once you realize Portugal uses the law to enforce their "decriminalization" you can't in good faith keep supporting or even repeating the lie yourself.

Our cities, SF, Vancouver, Portland, Seattle, LA, Victoria, etc know they're distorting the meaning by claiming it's what Portugal does. They've been told that they're wrong in this by journalists with experience in Portugal and by the very architect of the Portuguese system and they refuse to choose other language or admit that they are in actuality enacting the exact opposite to Portugal.