XPost: or.politics, alt.politics.democrats, alt.fan.rush-limbaugh
XPost: talk.politics.guns, alt.politics.marijuana
Oregon is ready to end its "experiment" with drug decriminalization,
according to one state senator. This comes as skyrocketing overdose deaths
and public drug usage compelled the state legislature to re-introduce
criminal penalties for possession in the Beaver State.
"About four Oregonians a day are dying because of overdoses," state Sen.
Tim Knopp, a Republican and minority leader in the upper chamber, told
"Fox & Friends Weekend" on Sunday.
"The voters of Oregon were sold a bill of goods through an initiative that
was on the ballot, and it decriminalized all hard drugs – fentanyl,
heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine," he said.
OREGONIANS SUPPORT ENDING DRUG DECRIMINALIZATION AMID RISING OVERDOSES, ‘RADICALIZED SOCIAL JUSTICE MOVEMENT’
"Instead of treatment that the voters thought they were going to get for
their family and friends who are on drugs and addicted, they ended up
getting unbridled drug use, drug sales all over our major cities across
Oregon, and it turned into an exponential increase in overdose deaths."
The three-year decriminalization "experiment" began in 2020 when nearly
60% of voters supported the passage of Measure 110, which decriminalized possession of small amounts of hard drugs like fentanyl, meth and heroin
and made possession punishable by a maximum $100 fine.
VOTERS’ REMORSE: BLUE STATE SURVEY SHOWS MAJORITY WANT TO RE-CRIMINALIZE
DRUGS: ‘WE MADE AN ENORMOUS MISTAKE’
The measure has since lost popularity as widespread concerns over the
fentanyl crisis, homelessness and a decrease in public safety have entered
the spotlight.
"What we had is more crime, open drug use, open drug sales, and you see
people pretty much everywhere on drugs, and, they were literally dying
before our eyes on the streets of Portland and Eugene and Salem and major cities across Oregon. It's been horrific," Knopp said.
The Oregon Senate voted 21-8 in favor of recriminalizing hard drugs with
HB 4002 on Friday, following in the footsteps of the state House with the
bill receiving largely bipartisan support.
OREGON OPIOID DEATHS INCREASE 13X AFTER DRUG DECRIMINALIZATION LAW: ‘WE
HAVE TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT'
According to Oregon Public Broadcasting, the bill also expands access to
opioid withdrawal medications, creates addiction services facilities and enables prosecutors to "seek steep penalties for drug dealers."
The bill now heads to Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek's desk.
According to the report, Kotek has declined to make her stance on the bill clear, but she has previously signaled support for reinstating criminal penalties for drug possession.
https://www.foxnews.com/media/dying-eyes-oregon-overdose-deaths-lawmakers- end-drug-decriminalization-experiment
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