There is also very little government data to determine which programs work best or to track treatment outcomes and share best practices. There are also no agreed parameters or benchmarks to assess treatment effectiveness in Oregon and nationally. „There will be a significant economic incentive, driven by many voices within the industry who are trying to expand the market already in New York,“ Bondy noted. „We are in a pandemic, and just last week, the governor expressed interest in legalizing marijuana, citing the fact that the time has come to increase these tax revenues.“ On Feb. 1, a major experiment began in Oregon: the state decriminalized small amounts of all drugs, including heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine. In the November election, voters passed measure 110 by a margin of 16 points. TEMPLETON — Frederique hopes Oregon will be a test case for convincing activists in other states that decriminalization is politically feasible. A national campaign to relax drug laws scored significant victories Tuesday when four states voted to legalize marijuana and Oregon became the first state to decriminalize possession of small amounts of hard drugs. That would make the Drug Treatment and Recovery Services Fund „saturated with income,“ as out-of-state users legally buy Oregon`s potent marijuana, Prozanski said in a phone interview. „What matters is that marijuana prohibition has been a pathetic failure,“ said Matthew Schweich, deputy director of the Marijuana Policy Project. Measure 110 decriminalizes hard drugs, which are often associated with crippling addiction and social decay.
And in Oregon, voters made history by passing the first state law in the United States that decriminalized possession of hard drugs like heroin, cocaine and LSD. The measure, backed by criminal justice reform groups, aims to turn people away from jails and prisons by treating property as a citation and expanding access to treatment and recovery. This slow start is reflected on a national scale. So far, Measure 110`s new 24/7 helpline — where people who receive a property quote can call — is generally silent. Nearly five months later, only 29 people who received a possession citation from police have called management for substance abuse testing, according to Dwight Holton, CEO of Lines for Life, the Oregon nonprofit that officially runs the Telephone Behavioral Health Resource Network. Oregon voters also approved a measure that made it the first state to legalize the therapeutic use of psychedelic mushrooms. Oregon residents voted to become the first state to decriminalize personal possession of illicit drugs, including cocaine, heroin, oxycodone and methamphetamine. The measures were adopted by a large majority. Today, anyone arrested by police with small amounts of hard drugs across Oregon receives a civil quote — like a ticket — not a criminal charge.
So if you have up to 2 grams of methamphetamine or cocaine, 40 shots of LSD or oxycodone, up to one gram of heroin, among others, you will receive a quote and a $100 fine. This fine disappears if you agree to undergo a health examination through an addiction treatment hotline, an assessment that could lead to counselling or treatment. The voting measure limits the amount of revenue from the pot tax, schools; mental health, alcohol and drug services; State police; and cities and counties receive $45 million a year, with the remainder going to an addiction treatment and recovery services fund. Nearly 40 years into the National War on Drugs, Oregon is putting it at the forefront of changing American attitudes about what communities should do about drug abuse. Proponents of decriminalization say it is a remedy for an expensive campaign that has done little to improve society, but has devastated minority communities. An Oregon study showed that blacks and Native Americans were more likely to be convicted of drug-related crimes than whites, creating a record that follows low-level drug users for the rest of their lives. „I just thought the demographics of Mississippi were a relatively conservative context,“ Bondy noted.
