A few years ago, Oregon decided to decriminalize drug use, perhaps in an attempt to further demonstrate its progressive values. Things did not go as planned.
In addition to a sharp rise in crime and homelessness, Portland and other areas of the state have seen a spike in drug-related deaths, many due to fentanyl use.
Now lawmakers are seeking to recriminalize drug use, and even Democrats support the effort.
The Oregon Capital Chronicle reports:
On the first vote, the committee passed a controversial bill that would repeal Measure 110
Oregon lawmakers on the Joint Addiction Committee voted Tuesday evening in favor of a proposal to roll back Measure 110 and reshape the state's approach to the drug addiction and overdose crisis after months of planning and three intense weeks of debate and redrafting of the proposal.
The bipartisan committee vote of 10-2 to send the bill to the House came after wrenching testimony in a series of hours-long meetings by family members who have lost loved ones to fentanyl as well as opposition from civil rights advocates and public defenders. For the bill to become law, it needs approval by the House and Senate and the signature of Gov. Tina Kotick.
Democrats, who control the Legislature, say they have enough support to pass it.
Hot Air's John Sexton adds this:
The real story here, which most of the media writing about this has completely skipped, is that Portland has been in chaos since 2020. That's when the police were defunded and crime began to rise sharply. Thanks to the passage of Measure 110 (also in 2020), street drug use and homelessness have gotten worse, too.
Portland has done what it can to deal with these issues, including passing the city's ban on public drug use last September. But of course the city can't ignore state law that says drug use is legal statewide. So Portland's drug ban has not gone into effect and will not go into effect until Measure 110 is repealed.
Sadly it took so many deaths to get to this point.
It has become the beginning of the end for drug decriminalization. It took thousands of deaths and a drug and homelessness sweep through Portland to do that. This is a harmful policy that he finances @DrugPolicyOrg It's a dead stick. https://t.co/iTEiKjhqgt
– T Wolf (@Twolfrecovery) February 29, 2024
Fatal overdoses in Oregon have increased nearly 42% in one year.
But legalizing all drugs has nothing to do with it, right? https://t.co/6QvSAHe7BK
— The Pragmatist (@pdxpragmatist) February 19, 2024
Of course, there is no guarantee that this reform will succeed, but Oregon would be wise to do so. They clearly have a big problem.
