Oregon's drug decriminalization effort a 'tragedy'

[Utilit99 4,099]

biden's America? 

The streets of downtown Portland, Oregon, resemble an open-air drug market. 

Heroin, meth and fentanyl use is rampant and often visible on city streets. Portland police officers drive by homeless addicts buying and using. 

The signs of drug addiction are actually increasing throughout the state, according to law enforcement sources. Oregon ranks second-highest among U.S. states for substance abuse with nearly one in five adults addicted.

In November 2020, voters overwhelmingly passed Measure 110. The Drug Addiction Treatment and Recovery Act secured 58% of the votes and decriminalized possession of small amounts of hard drugs such as heroin, meth, cocaine and fentanyl. 

FEDS SEIZE 478,000 COUNTERFEIT FENTANYL-LACED PILLS, CHARGE 26 WITH DRUG TRAFFICKING AND OTHER CRIMES

The new law made possession of those substances no more than a Class E violation, the equivalent of a traffic ticket punishable by a maximum $100 fine. But the fine is dismissed when someone who is fined calls a help hotline, Lines for Life, and completes a health assessment. The idea is to connect drug abusers with services and treatment instead of putting them behind bars.  

Sixteen months into this first-in-the-nation experiment, the numbers paint a bleak picture. Drug overdose deaths hit an all-time high in 2021 with 1069, a 41% increase from 2020. And very few people are getting into treatment. According to The Lund Report, after one year, just 136 people had entered treatment, less than 1% of those helped by Measure 110. But the actual number may be even lower.

David Murray is a senior fellow in the Hudson Institute who advised drug czars in two different presidential administrations. 

"It is predictable, was predicted and now, unfortunately, is coming to pass in front of our eyes," said Murray, "It is a tragedy and a self-inflicted wound."

The Oregon Judicial Department reports that, through the end of May, police throughout the state had written 2,576 tickets for drug possession since Measure 110 was enacted. Seventy-five percent of the tickets resulted in convictions, the vast majority because the offender never showed up in court. 

...

"What we’re absolutely seeing is that as drug possession has been decriminalized, property crimes have increased and so has violent crime," said District Attorney Kevin Barton of Washington County, Oregon. Police in rural parts of Oregon also tell Fox News they are seeing more theft as people steal to feed their addiction. 

...

https://www.foxnews.com/us/portland-drug-decriminalization-effort-tragedy

[Hardcore troubadour 12,650]

But it worked in Portugal. 

[listen2me 23 1,542]

Another really sane and well thought out policy from the Liberals.  

You would think by dumb luck they would back their way into doing something right at some point. 

[TimmySmith 2,782]

It's worked out really well for the rest of the country. 

[Voltaire 4,560]

13 minutes ago, Utilit99 said:

. Portland police officers drive by homeless addicts buying and using. 

 

Portland still has police officers?

Well, I suppose the kind that see drug deals and drive by without doing anything about it are the only ones that you can expect they would have left.

[Bert 1,091]

3 minutes ago, TimmySmith said:

It's worked out really well for the rest of the country. 

When were all drugs decriminalized across the entire country?

[TimmySmith 2,782]

3 minutes ago, Bert said:

When were all drugs decriminalized across the entire country?

That all the drug addicts went to Portland. 

[Hardcore troubadour 12,650]

2 minutes ago, Bert said:

When were all drugs decriminalized across the entire country?

San Fran.  NYC. Mostly every other lib shithole of significance. Besides what they put on the books, non enforcement is defacto de- criminalization. 

[Utilit99 4,099]

It mentions one out of every five adults in Oregon have drug addictions? And they are talking the about the hard stuff. That's focked up.

Or maybe they are including alcohol as well? Even that is kind of focked up.

[Hardcore troubadour 12,650]

Lots of trannies in Portland. They do a lot of drugs.  

[MDC 5,891]

6 minutes ago, TimmySmith said:

That all the drug addicts went to Portland. 

Years ago I read about Colorado having problems with public dope smoking and a spike in DUIs after legalizing marijuana. That probably changed now that it’s legal in many states. Maybe it’s the same idea?. 

[Bert 1,091]

I believe the DUIs went up after legalization.

[wiffleball 4,640]

Denver became a raging s*** hole the minute we became one of the first states to legalize weed. And they're pretty much there in terms of decriminalizing all drugs. And crazy enough? Homelessness is through the f****** roof.

[wiffleball 4,640]

1 hour ago, Bert said:

I believe the DUIs went up after legalization.

They have to come up with the test for thc. Or a better one. But there's this whole mindset that weed doesn't impair one in any way whatsoever. It's just a fun thing to do! Boy, I think we're going to look back and regret. Lawmakers were thinking about the weed that they smoked in the seventies which was mostly twigs. The s*** these days? Will blow the back of your skull out.

 

Colorado actually tried to pass a law that you couldn't fire somebody for being high on weed. Sure, show up with beer on your breath and,  screwed, but weed,?   F****** managers will go out and smoke up mid shift with their employees and not think twice about it.

 

And here's Oregon's problem kids. And it's not just oregon. Weed is like any other drug. Eventually you develop a tolerance. And you've got to do more and stronger to get the same buzz. Back in the 80s they called this a gateway drug. But whatever you call it, it's been a fact of life for a very long time;  People jump from weed to Meth to fentanyl to death.

 

Denver has a huge meth problem. And guess why? It ain't the f****** altitude.

[Utilit99 4,099]

1 minute ago, wiffleball said:

Denver became a raging s*** hole the minute we became one of the first states to legalize weed. And they're pretty much there in terms of decriminalizing all drugs. And crazy enough? Homelessness is through the f****** roof.

But I thought pot was supposed to be such a harmless useful drug?

 

[Hardcore troubadour 12,650]

7 minutes ago, Utilit99 said:

But I thought pot was supposed to be such a harmless useful drug?

 

It was. The THC levels have gone through the roof.  This ain’t the ragweed most of the dopers here grew up on. Much more potent. But let’s not dwell on that. It worked in Portugal.  

[porkbutt 861]

let's just let all the losers run the show.

[RLLD 3,455]

I wonder if the Dems realize the more of their people they kill off the harder it will be to fabricate votes during elections. 

[edjr 5,566]

What are the laws in Philly?

[Old School 360]

2 hours ago, RLLD said:

I wonder if the Dems realize the more of their people they kill off the harder it will be to fabricate votes during elections. 

They’ll still vote. 

[TBayXXXVII 2,117]

2 hours ago, RLLD said:

I wonder if the Dems realize the more of their people they kill off the harder it will be to fabricate votes during elections. 

That's ok, the number of younger morons that they can con is higher than the number that die.

[Utilit99 4,099]

5 minutes ago, Old School said:

They’ll still vote. 

Yes they will. 

[frank 2,145]

If you wanna ride, ride the white pony.