wow, who could have seen that coming? that dem policies just cause crime and make people unsafe?
https://apnews.com/article/oregon-drug-recriminalization-0c767935037f058c1bf16c4a7c405144U.S. NEWS
Oregon lawmakers pass bill to recriminalize drug possession
Updated 5:16 PM EST, March 2, 2024
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SALEM, Ore. (AP) — A bill recriminalizing the possession of small amounts of drugs was passed by the Oregon Legislature on Friday, undoing a key part of the state’s first-in-the-nation drug decriminalization law as governments struggle to respond to the deadliest overdose crisis in U.S. history.
The state Senate approved House Bill 4002 in a 21-8 vote after the House passed it 51-7 on Thursday. The bill now heads to the desk of Gov. Tina Kotek, who said in January that she is open to signing a bill that would roll back decriminalization, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported.
“With this bill, we are doubling down on our commitment to make sure Oregonians have access to the treatment and care that they need,” said Democratic Senate Majority Leader Kate Lieber, of Portland, one of the bill’s authors, adding that its passage will “be the start of real and transformative change for our justice system.”
The measure makes the possession of small amounts of drugs such as heroin or methamphetamine a misdemeanor, punishable by up to six months in jail. It enables police to confiscate the drugs and crack down on their use on sidewalks and in parks. Drug treatment is to be offered as an alternative to criminal penalties.
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FILE - A person holds drug paraphernalia near the Washington Center building on SW Washington St. in downtown Portland, Ore. on Tuesday, April 4, 2023. The fight against fentanyl is increasingly being waged in schools, jails and on city streets in the Pacific Northwest, where state officials in Oregon and Washington have named it a top issue in upcoming legislative sessions amid a sharp increase in overdose deaths. (Dave Killen/The Oregonian via AP, File)
