Thank you. Finally read it, and like I thought, it's completely incoherent with the idea that "The Portuguese are having second thoughts."

It's mostly a complaint piece by Porto mayor Rui Moreira. Joao Goulao, the actual architect of the program points to what actually happened.

"João Goulão — head of Portugal’s national institute on drug use and the architect of decriminalization — admitted to the local press in December that “what we have today no longer serves as an example to anyone.” Rather than fault the policy, however, he blames a lack of funding.

After years of economic crisis, Portugal decentralized its drug oversight operation in 2012. A funding drop from 76 million euros ($82.7 million) to 16 million euros ($17.4 million) forced Portugal’s main institution to outsource work previously done by the state to nonprofit groups, including the street teams that engage with people who use drugs."