(NewsWorthy.news) – Years after implementing an experimental drug decriminalization program, the Democratic governor of Oregon has signed a bill that reimposes criminal penalties for possessing small amounts of drugs for personal use.
On Monday April 1, Gov. Tina Kotek reversed a 2020 ballot measure that replaced the criminal justice system with rehabilitation and addiction programs. The intention was to motivate a decrease in the overdose and drug crisis seen in the state, especially cities like Portland.
The new legislation classifies even small amounts of heroin, methamphetamine, and other hard drugs as a misdemeanor that holds the potential punishment of a six-month prison sentence. Keeping with the emphasis on addiction treatment that the previous regulations held, offenders of the new law may choose to undergo drug rehabilitation services instead of accepting criminal punishment.
Kotek emphasized the critical need for cooperation and collaboration between various agencies, including law enforcement, court officials, and health professionals in order to have an effective impact through the bill. In an April 1 letter to state lawmakers, the governor expressed the need to “balance” local efforts with the goal of obtaining “statewide consistency and standardization” regarding the bill.
House Bill 4002 was passed with significant support from lawmakers in March, upheaving the previously held law that did not consider small amounts of hard drugs to be criminal possession. Measure 110 was approved by voters in 2020, having been put before Oregon citizens as a ballot measure.
The initiative was approved by an overwhelming majority of voters who expressed agreement with the approach of encouraging even offenders on a small scale to receive treatment for their addictions by reducing penalties from law enforcement and courts.
Although supporters of the measure believed it would serve as a more effective response to the drug possession and overdose crisis plaguing the state compared to the justice system, others have noted that it was not as effective as some hoped. A worker with the treatment center organization Recovery Works Northwest, Jovannis Velez, said the measure was “too progressive,” adding that “society wasn’t ready” for the decriminalization experiment.
Copyright 2024, NewsWorthy.news
