Opinion: The Recriminalization of Drugs is Essential
Image sourced from opb.org
In November 2020, Oregon voters approved Ballot Measure 110, which decriminalized the unlawful possession of small amounts of controlled substances in an effort to direct police to more useful pursuits and to break the stigma of those suffering from substance addiction.
The aim was to provide counseling and health services for addicts, instead of punishing them for a disease they have. This measure looked incredible on paper, but unfortunately, the movement failed. Instead of seeking counseling, most addicts instead decided to use the decriminalization to their advantage, openly consuming previously illegal substances in public and effectively creating dangerous situations for many of Oregon’s citizens.
Not all addicts chose to manipulate the law this way, but because many did, Portland and its surrounding areas have very clearly become riddled with intoxicated people, dirty needles, and violent addicts.
I see this firsthand almost daily, as I live in one of the most popular areas for addicts and houseless people to hang around. I see people on the streets begging for money to get their next fix. I see people passed out at the MAX station, having overdosed on their drugs. I see violence and death, just across the street from my home.
When Measure 110 was passed, there wasn’t really an incentive for addicts to seek help. Other than requiring offenders to receive a screening within 45 days of a drug possession citation, and educating police officers on how to inform offenders to get help, nothing was really done except permitting addicts and dealers to perform their business openly in public.
Most people in Portland dislike police officers and won’t take advice from them, and the reason is clear. Even though the decriminalization removed the ability for officers to take a person into custody after finding drugs on them, it didn’t remove the attitude officers hold toward addicts.
Several months ago, I contacted the Portland Police Bureau to inform it that someone had overdosed on fentanyl at a bus stop and was in very poor condition. Upon arriving, police began a very hostile conversation with me and the bystanders around. It took nearly 10 minutes to get the police to allow medical responders to come through, wasting valuable time that could have been used to save that person – whom I later learned died before reaching a hospital emergency room.
This sort of behavior towards people who are ill does not encourage others to seek their help. This spring, the Oregon Legislature passed House Bill 4002, which recriminalized use of hard drugs, putting in place a new misdemeanor charge for drug possession. Signed by Gov. Tina Kotek and taking full effect on Sept. 1, the legislation requires that offenders be given the option to enter a treatment program in lieu of jail time. If they so chose, they would face a misdemeanor charge only in the event that they violate their probation. The new law also commits more than $220 million toward improved treatment outcomes, including for outpatient clinics, residential facilities, sobering centers, opioid treatment in jail, court diversion programs and public defenders.
In light of Oregon’s growing fentanyl epidemic, I believe this approach is the best possible way for the government to approach taking down drugs. There will always be those who refuse to enter a program, but there are many people who would much rather go to a treatment facility than to jail. This could help heal an illness in people who may have struggled with drug addiction for decades.
Another good effect of this proposition is that houseless addicts would be able to have temporary shelter where they can get their feet on the ground and learn valuable life skills such as job acquisition, communication, nutrition, personal finance, and general daily life tasks. It’s critical that the support services become available at all times, and the attitudes of law enforcement, medical responders and various counselors start to shift into unbiased professionalism.
If we’re able to start treating addicts as humans instead of filth, then maybe we just might be able to win this war on hard drugs.
Staff Writer & Photographer
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