Oregon Finally Rethinks Drug Decriminalization
JAZZ SHAW 9:20 AM on January 24, 2024
In 2020, voters in Oregon narrowly approved a measure that would “reimagine” efforts to deal with drug addiction by decriminalizing nearly every aspect of the illicit drug trade. Resources would instead be focused on getting people into treatment and incentivizing recovery programs. The results have been nothing short of catastrophic, with junkies overdosing and in many cases dying on public sidewalks and in parks. The hands of the police have been tied, and supposedly mandatory recovery plans are widely ignored by drug users. This week, the Oregon Democrats who originally dreamed up this plan finally seemed to realize the error of their ways. New legislation has been introduced that would recriminalize public drug use and possession, allowing the police to confiscate illegal drugs and arrest those engaging in the trade in public. This was reportedly done only after the lawmakers realized that “public opinion has soured” on the plan. (Associated Press)
Democratic lawmakers in Oregon on Tuesday unveiled a sweeping new bill that would undo a key part of the state’s first-in-the-nation drug decriminalization law, a recognition that public opinion has soured on the measure amid rampant public drug use during the fentanyl crisis.
The bill would recriminalize the possession of small amounts of drugs as a low-level misdemeanor, enabling police to confiscate them and crack down on their use on sidewalks and in parks, its authors said. It also aims to make it easier to prosecute dealers, to access addiction treatment medication, and to obtain and keep housing without facing discrimination for using that medication.
“It’s the compromise path, but also the best policy that we can come up with to make sure that we are continuing to keep communities safe and save lives,” state Sen. Kate Lieber, a Portland Democrat, told The Associated Press.
https://hotair.com/jazz-shaw/2024/01/24/oregon-finally-rethinks-drug-decriminalization-n607040
