The Oregon Legislature has voted to recriminalize certain drugs after the governor declared a state of emergency over Portland’s fentanyl crisis due to a spike in overdose deaths.
In 2020, Ballot Measure 110 passed, a measure that would decriminalize small amounts of all drugs and direct more of the state’s cannabis tax revenue to subsidize addiction services, and 58% of Oregonians approved the bill.
Since then, addiction and overdose deaths have skyrocketed in Oregon and across the country as fentanyl spreads across the country.
A man smokes on a sidewalk in Portland, Oregon, on January 10, 2024. (Hannah Rae Lambert/Fox News Digital)
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In August, 56% of Oregonians said they did not support the pioneering drug law, and both Republicans and Democrats introduced bills to repeal the controversial legislation.
A bill to decriminalize possession of small amounts of drugs passed the state Senate 21-8 on Friday after passing the House 51-7 on Thursday.
The bill is now on the desk of Gov. Tina Kotek, who has said she is prepared to sign a bill rolling back decriminalization in January, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported. Kotek, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and Multnomah County Chairwoman Jessica Vega Pederson last month imposed a 90-day state of emergency in downtown Portland, citing the public health and public safety crisis caused by fentanyl. declared.
“This bill renews our commitment to ensuring Oregonians receive the treatment and care they need,” said Democratic Senate Majority Leader Kate Lieber of Portland, one of the bill’s authors. We will further strengthen the law,” he said, adding that the passage of the bill was a sign of the passage of the bill. “This will be the beginning of real change to our justice system.”
President Joe Biden introduces then-candidate Tina Kotek during an event at SEIU Local 49 on October 14, 2022 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
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The bill would make possession of small amounts of drugs, such as heroin or methamphetamine, a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in prison. This will allow police to seize drugs and control their use on sidewalks and parks. Drug treatment is to be provided as an alternative to criminal punishment.
Additionally, the bill aims to make it easier to prosecute people who sell drugs and increase access to addictive drugs. It also makes it easier to obtain and maintain housing without facing discrimination for using the drug.
Democratic Sen. Lou Frederick of Portland criticized the bill.
“I’m concerned that this (bill) will try to use the same tactics of the past and fail, and only reinforce a narrative of punishment that has failed for 50 years,” he said. He added that it has the potential to move many people into the court system without making them healthier.
Tents cover a plaza near the Steel Bridge in Portland, Oregon, on July 7, 2023. Drug use is rampant in the area. (Hannah Rae Lambert/Fox News Digital)
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Michael Bock, a private security guard in Portland, told Fox News last month that fentanyl overdoses in Multnomah County, the state’s most populous, increased 533% between 2018 and 2022. He said dealers were acting with “absolute impunity” and distributing drugs as they currently do. “Seven-Eleven”.
“They’re doing it in schools, they’re doing it in parking lots, they’re doing it on playgrounds, they’re doing it in front of churches and businesses. They’re doing it in broad daylight and nothing can stop it,” he said.
Bock said fentanyl’s low price of $0.25 per pill is having a devastating impact on local residents.
Kristine Parks and Hannah Ray Lambert of Fox News and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
