Oregon Becomes First US State To Decriminalize Possession Of Hard Drugs Like Heroin And Cocaine
Socialites, get into this: On Tuesday, Oregon took a significant step to relax drug laws by voting to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of street drugs like cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine.
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Oregon became the first state to make this move in a 59-41% vote as of early Wednesday morning, according to the Associated Press. The drug measures were among 120 proposed state laws and constitutional amendments that were on the ballot in 32 states.
“People suffering from addiction are more effectively treated with health care services than with criminal punishments,” the bill reads. “A health care approach includes a health assessment to figure out the needs of people who are suffering from addiction, and it includes connecting them to the services they need.” As Fox News notes, instead of treating drug users as criminals, Oregon will now offer them addiction services funded by marijuana tax revenue, which is more than $100 million a year in the state.
To note, only small amounts of drugs are decriminalized, such as less than 1 gram of heroin or MDMA; 2 grams of cocaine or methamphetamine; 12 grams of psilocybin mushrooms; and 40 doses of LSD, oxycodone or methadone, the news site notes. Penalties for possession of these amounts will be replaced with a fine of up to $100. Now, if the user is evaluated at Addiction Recovery Centers, the fine can be waived.
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