Any doubts that Europe takes its sports far more seriously than the United States went up in smoke last week.

To discourage rowdy British hooligans from rioting during the Euro 2004 soccer tournament held in Lisbon, Portuguese police announced beforehand that they wouldn't arrest or detain visiting Brits who were spotted smoking marijuana because the drug decreases violent urges, according to British newspaper The Guardian.

In other words, they're actually giving England supporters the OK to get stoned in the stands.

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