The final text was presented by the parliamentary committee on Constitutional Affairs, Rights, Freedoms and Guarantees, following two PSD and PS bills that had been generally approved on 7 July.

In the debate that took place at the beginning of the month, PSD and PS justified their diplomas on the decriminalisation of synthetic drugs with the need to distinguish between dealers and consumers, also warning of the impact that these new substances are having in the autonomous regions.

“Twenty-seven years later, it is necessary to change the current legal framework in order to cover this new and harsh reality”, said the social democratic deputy Sara Madruga da Costa, for whom the PSD diploma intends to provide a “faster response and more effective response to this complex and alarming phenomenon” which particularly affects Madeira and the Azores.

According to the deputy, the distinction between consumer and dealer "is fundamental" to combat the phenomenon of synthetic drugs, through the application of the same legal regime and the same principles of classic drugs to this new reality.

“That's what our initiative aims to do. Distinguish the consumer from the dealer, the offenses of crime, with reference to daily doses, in order to treat those who need it and tighten the mesh of trafficking”, through the comparison of synthetic drugs to the classic ones in the penal system, stressed Sara Madruga da Costa.

Cláudia Santos, deputy of the PS, pointed out that 23 years ago the “historic decision” was taken to decriminalize the possession of drugs for consumption in Portugal, but from 2009 the number of people convicted of crimes of consumption grew, against the option made by parliament.

“With this project, we want to reaffirm the option made for the prevention and treatment of consumers”, justified the PS parliamentarian, considering that the possession of drugs for consumption “should not be a crime and that the amount of drugs held” by a person should just be an indication.