Oregon Ending Failed Drug Decriminalization Experiment

An experiment with the decriminalization of hard drugs in favor of addiction treatment will come to an end later this year, as Democratic Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek signed into law a bill that recriminalizes the possession of small amounts of drugs on April 1. The new law (pdf) rolls back Measure 110, passed by 58-percent of Oregonian voters in 2020, which was a first-in-the-nation attempt to tackle the issue of drug addiction that suffered from many implementation issues. It decriminalized possession of small amounts of heroin, methamphetamine, LSD, oxycodone and other drugs—imposing a $100 fine or a health assessment that could lead to addiction counseling....