Oregon was the first state to vote entirely by mail, the first state to offer over-the-counter birth control, and the first state to legalize physician-assisted suicide.
Three years ago, Oregon embarked on another first-in-the-nation feat: Passing a policy to decriminalize hard drugs in an attempt to focus on treatment over punishment to help turn the drug tide and create a new model for drug policy around the country.
But overdose deaths, crime, and homelessness tied to addiction now demand action and have forced Oregon to recriminalize hard drugs.
On Sunday, Measure 110, Oregon’s 3 1/2-year experiment will come to an end, and possession of small amounts of drugs will once again be considered a misdemeanor crime.
Fed-up residents say it’s about time.
Drug addiction advocates and social justice groups say going back to the old method is a major setback and unfairly prioritizes the voices of police over marginalized people.
“This is an ache,” said Danita Harris, deputy director of the Portland-based advocacy group Imagine Black. “It hurts in a very real way.”
Democratic state Sen. Kayse Jama, who voted against criminalizing drugs, said the reversal “will have devastating impacts on communities of color and low-income Oregonians, burdening our already-strained justice system while failing to address the root causes of our addiction crisis.”
A majority of residents see it differently.
Read more at Washingtonexaminer.com
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