Portugal’s experience with cannabis has been shaped by a complicated interaction between changing views, societal shifts, and historical background. We explore common myths about cannabis in Portugal, their effects on the developing cannabis market, and the latest developments that are changing the scene.
We prepared this article together with a Portuguese cannabis activist and marketer, Rafaela Rafagnin. She is a cannabis communication specialist and ex-budtender, staying up to date with all aspects of the Portuguese market.
Prejudices and misconceptions
In Portugal, prejudices have their origins in the heroin crisis of the mid-1990s, which resulted in the liberalisation of drug usage. Even with the rising medical and therapeutic applications of cannabis, it is difficult to have a discourse about the drug to those who experienced the drug misuse issues of the 1980s and 1990s. But a younger generation is seeing the therapeutic possibilities, indicating a change in the way society views things.
