Oregon Decriminalizes Hard Drugs for Personal Use, Predictable Results Follow

In this episode of Democrat-Controlled Oregon Continues Its Intentional Descent Into Madness…

While Oregon is one of the most beautiful states in America — despite the transformation of Portland into a left-wing hellhole — the Beaver State’s first-in-the-nation decriminalization of heroin, meth, fentanyl, and other hard drugs, passed by voters two years ago, has led to skyrocketing overdose rates, as reported by Fox News.

The minority of sane people in Oregon have criticized the ridiculous — and deadly — decriminalization law, but as state funding finally starts to make its way to addiction service providers, proponents say they’re starting to see results. Reread the second part of that sentence; it’s pure insanity.

Here’s Hannah Studer, deputy director of the behavioral health nonprofit Bridges to Change:

It’s going to take a long time to fully see what’s happening. We have to stay the course because this is life and death and this really is building an entirely new future for the state that the state deserves.

Huh? Memo to Hannah: Your “bridges to change” are headed in the wrong direction. Moreover, I beg to differ: The good people of your state do not deserve skyrocketing numbers of overdose deaths, including the unfortunate who are incapable of staying the hell away from hard drugs.

According to Fox, Measure 110 passed with 58 percent of the vote in 2020. It decriminalized possession of personal use amounts of hard drugs and redirected a significant portion of the state’s marijuana tax revenue — which had previously gone to schools, police, and local governments — to fund grants for so-called “addiction services.” See what I mean by descent into madness?

Simple question, which is unanswerable: What percentage of the 58 percent of Oregonians who voted in favor of Measure 110 were addicts hoping to avoid potential arrest, conviction, and prison time for doing hard drugs? And, Ms. Studer? Can you please explain a safe amount of deadly fentanyl for personal use? Apologies for continuing to repeat myself, but this is sheer madness, gang.

David Potts, chair of the Lents Neighborhood Livability Association, stated the obvious to Fox News:

It’s worked out great for the drug dealers and the drug users because we have an open-air drug market.

Here’s more, via Fox:

Drug possession is now a Class E violation, punishable by a maximum $100 fine, which people can have waived if they call a hotline and complete a treatment assessment. Oregon Health & Science University’s head of addiction medicine, Dr. Todd Korthuis, said few people are calling the hotline, and most are only doing so to get their citation waived.

“Only 1% of those issued a ticket for drug possession requested information about treatment resources,” he told a state senate committee earlier this year. “In my discussions with treatment leaders around the state, not one has had any patient enroll in treatment due to these tickets.”

Of 3,645 citations issued through November, 68% ended in a conviction because the suspect failed to appear in court, according to the Oregon Judicial Department.

Let’s end with perhaps the most insane quote of the article.

Ron Williams, director of outreach for the Health Justice Recovery Alliance, which advocates for Measure 110, insanely thinks addicts should be able to seek recovery services on their own terms.

There’s very little evidence that coercive treatment works. Most people who use drugs recreationally don’t think they have a problem and thus don’t think they need treatment. So why would you force them into treatment?

Incorrect, Mr. Williams. Should they? Of course. Do they” Not so much. In a majority of cases, unless addicts (and alcoholics) are forced into treatment, they’re not going to seek it on their own.

The Bottom Line

Oregon has awarded $302 million in grants for “harm reduction,” overdose prevention, recovery housing, and more. While drug overdose deaths have spiked nationwide since early 2020, according to the CDC, Oregon’s addiction rate remains among the highest in the country.

Moreover, data suggests that drug addiction leads to homelessness, increases in mental illness, low-level crime — and homicides.

Oregon Democrats? Do the math. Jump off the woke crazy train for a minute and work on saving your addicts and drug abusers instead of giving them a green light to legally purchase “personal amounts” of deadly drugs.

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