OREGON RECRIMINALIZES ALL DRUGS

OREGON RECRIMINALIZES HARD DRUGS

By: Derek Varsalona

The state of Oregon is going back on its word to become a very Libertarian state.  The week of March 2, the Oregon Legislature voted to reinstate the criminalization of hard drugs.  I am very concerned about this measure.  The idea of decriminalization in my view is that people will finally come out of the shadows of their addictions and come to get the treatment to end their addiction if they want to.  It is totally their decision to do so or not to do so.  With this reserved policy, more people are going to die of drug overdoses in secret.  The better pro-life measure is to legalize all drugs so that people can come out of the shadows and finally get the help that they need.  What the local, state, and federal governments should do is treat drug addiction like a disease instead of a criminal matter. 

The Oregon legislature is criminalizing hard drugs.  My worry is that the government is going to decide that all drugs are considered hard drugs.  In this case, I would consider more people to be on hard drugs when they are consuming alcohol as opposed to marijuana.  You hear many situations where people turn violent under the influence of alcohol, but you rarely hear that case when they are under the influence of marijuana. 

Decriminalization is the better approach.  In Oregon itself, 60% of the voters agreed with decriminalizing all drugs.  Now, the legislature is going against the will of the people.  I am in favor of drug legalization and the legalization of all drugs.  Legalization will bring people out of the shadows and let people obtain the necessary treatment they need to reform their lives.  Living in the shadows is now fun, especially when you are trying to help yourself. 

With this new law, it ends the decriminalization of drugs that was in place for three years.  This is a horrible policy.  With this policy, I predict there is going to be a bigger black market for drugs.  With this law, I suspect there is going to be more overdoses and more suicides as a result of people living back in the shadows instead of seeking the help they need to treat their addictions if they want to.  As always comments accepted.

Oregon Recriminalizes drugs
Image: RollingStone
Rollingstone.com
November 4, 2020
Richard Vogel

Source: Betsy Reed. “ Oregon Undoes Ground-Breaking Drug Decriminalization Law.” TheGuardian.com Salem, Oregon: March 2, 2024.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/02/oregon-overturn-drug-decriminalize-law