Portugal decriminalized drugs in 2001. Since that time, more Portuguese adults have used drugs and sought rehab, but fewer drug users have contracted HIV and fewer teenagers have tried drugs in that country.

One of the concerns about decriminalization was that reduced penalties for drug possession and drug use would entice travelers from all over the world to visit Portugal to use drugs.

Has this happened? It’s true that you’ll see Portugal mentioned in online articles with titles such as “10 of the Top Travel Destinations to Get High.” But have the numbers of tourists actually matched these predictions?

According to The World Bank, the number of people visiting Portugal has increased almost every year since 2001. In 2001, Portugal had 5,392,000 visitors. The year after Portugal decriminalized drugs, 2002, more visitors did visit the country, but not many more, 168,000, for a grand total of 5,560,000 tourists.

In fact, according to The World Bank, the number of tourists to Portugal did not hit six million (6,349,000) until 2006, five years after the country decriminalized drugs. If hordes of tourists were going descend upon Portugal solely to consume drugs, wouldn’t they have done so in the years immediately after decriminalization? Five years later, wouldn’t the numbers have been higher than 6.3 million?

In additional, instead of a steady increase of people, in 2009, the number of tourists to Portugal actually decreased. The number of tourists didn’t hit seven million until 2011, ten years after the drug decriminalization. These numbers don’t sound like the droves of people expected to visit Portugal to purchase and buy drugs.

Finally, aren’t assumptions about people visiting Portugal solely for drugs really insults about the country and its people? Portugal is a beautiful country with a rich history. It has considerably more to offer than drugs.

Portugal’s decriminalization of drugs is a complex topic, to be sure, just yet another complex issue surrounding drugs, their use, and their regulation.