When Portugal first decriminalized drugs the arguments for it was that incarceration is more expensive than treatment, and that drug addicts are not criminals but instead are ill and need medical help, not four walls closing in on them. The people against this decriminalization argued that it would open the country from people to come there just to do drugs. Also at the time, Portugal had the highest level of hard drug usage in Europe at the time, people were afraid it would become worse.