Oregonians have made their state the first in the United States to decriminalize the use of all drugs, including cocaine and heroin, after voting to approve Measure 110.
One in 10 Oregonians is addicted to drugs, and one to two Oregonians die of drug overdoses every day.
Former Gov. John Kitzhaber, also a former emergency room doctor said, “As a parent, a doctor and former Governor, I urge Oregonians to vote “no” on Ballot Measure 110. I understand that a central motivation behind this ballot measure is to help reverse the disaster caused by the War on Drugs, which incarcerated people suffering from addiction and had a disproportionate impact on Black and Indigenous people and other communities of color. I agree with this goal, but Measure 110, as written, makes it more difficult to treat the underlying addiction that leads to drug use in the first place.”
On the Voteyeson110 website it states that the act does not legalize drugs but rather removes criminal penalty.
“It removes criminal penalties for low-level possession of all drugs, currently classified as misdemeanors, replacing them with a fine. These fines can be waived by being evaluated at Addiction Recovery Centers, which will be made available in all parts of the state, 24 hours a day,” says the website.