A few years ago, Oregon decided to decriminalize drug use, perhaps in an effort to further demonstrate its progressive values. Things didn’t go as planned.
In addition to a sharp increase in crime and homelessness, Portland and other areas of the state have seen a dramatic increase in drug-related deaths, many of them due to fentanyl use.
Now lawmakers are pushing to recriminalize drug use, and Democrats are backing the effort, too.
The Oregon Capital Chronicle reports:
In the first vote, the committee approves the controversial bill dismantling Measure 110
Oregon lawmakers on the Joint Committee on Addiction voted Tuesday night in favor of a proposal to backtrack on 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 re-elaboration of the proposal.
The committee’s bipartisan 10-2 vote to send the bill to the House came after harrowing testimony from a series of hours-long meetings from family members who have lost loved ones to fentanyl, as well as opposition from civil rights defenders and public defense lawyers. To become law, the bill must pass the House and Senate and be signed by Governor Tina Kotek.
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 news outlets writing about it completely ignore, is that the city of Portland has been a mess since 2020. That’s when the police were cut and crime started to increase dramatically. And thanks to the passage of Measure 110 (also in 2020), street drug use and homelessness have also gotten worse.
Portland has done what it can to address these issues, including passing the city’s drug ban 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 taken effect and will not take effect until Measure 110 is overturned.
It’s sad that it took so many deaths to get to this point.
The beginning of the end of drug decriminalization is upon us. It took thousands of deaths and Portland being overrun with drugs and homelessness to do it. This harmful policy is funded by @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 the legalization of all drugs has absolutely 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 pass, but Oregon would be wise to do so. They clearly have a big problem.