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Former Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee launched his Libertarian bid for the presidency Wednesday, calling for the country to have an active, opened-minded discussion about criminal justice reform that includes the decriminalization of drugs.

If he wants to learn more about how to get it done, he might want to take a trip to his home state this afternoon.

Thats because a group of lawmakers and advocates are hosting a conversation at the State House with Dr. Joo Goulo, who is known as Portugals drug czar. Goulo helped craft his countrys plan to decriminalize all drugs and administer administrative penalties in most possession cases.

The Portuguese policy has been widely hailed as a success, helping to curb drug use and overdoses in that country.

Chafee stopped short of saying whether he was referring to all substances, telling Marijuana Moment that it starts with a broad conversation and getting everybody involved - law enforcement, health officials, and thats the process.

And there are other models around the world, whether its Portugal or Uruguay or Holland, and we can learn from them, Chafee said.

Todays discussion at the State House library is hosted by Representative Scott Slater, the Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) on Opioids and Overdose, the Substance Use Policy, Education, & Recovery Political Action Committee, and the Family Task Force.

Governor Gina Raimondo is widely expected to include in her budget next week a proposal to legalize the recreational use of marijuana, but House and Senate leaders have said they will not support it.

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If Chafee wants to decriminalize drugs, he should take a trip to R.I. today - The Boston Globe