logo
welcome
The Nation

The Nation

In Defense of Drug Decriminalization—Yes, in Oregon

The Nation
Summary
Nutrition label

79% Informative

In November 2020 , voters in Oregon voted to decriminalize possessing small amounts of some controlled substances, including heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine.

Authors: Oregonians began to undo the harms caused by over 50 years of a failed War on Drugs .

They say critics blame decriminalization for accelerating the overdose crisis and normalizing public drug use.

Author: Oregon 's increase in overdose deaths is comparable to that of neighboring states.

Measure 110 decriminalized drugs in Oregon has led to a steady decline in crime and crime in the state.

Measure 110 has taken steps to address this problem, but there are still gaps in treatment and harm reduction services in Oregon .

The state has seen a massive increase in its unhoused population, which has risen 63 percent over the last six years .

The War on Drugs has been lost, but the path to repair has just begun, authors say.

Critics of decriminalization assume that those who use drugs have no desire to stop using and that the only effective way to cease drug use is through the threat of prison.

We can’t talk about the War on drugs without talking about its disproportionate impact on communities of color.

VR Score

80

Informative language

78

Neutral language

47

Article tone

semi-formal

Language

English

Language complexity

62

Offensive language

likely offensive

Hate speech

not hateful

Attention-grabbing headline

not detected

Known propaganda techniques

not detected

Time-value

short-lived

External references

42

https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/89871/south_carolina_jri_policy_assessment_final_0.pdfhttps://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/issue-briefs/2018/03/louisianas-2017-criminal-justice-reformshttps://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/the-story/measure-110-drug-decriminalization-portland/283-5b2ae9b5-649a-44e1-88b5-5d9bb8466eb4https://www.unodc.org/documents/ungass2016/Contributions/Civil/Transform-Drug-Policy-Foundation/Drug-decriminalisation-in-Portugal.pdfhttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2949875923000218?via%3Dihubhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3202661/https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/trends-statistics/overdose-death-rateshttps://subscriptions.thenation.com/Nation_indexhttps://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/the-story/measure-110-psu-study-cops-law-enforcement-failure/283-6f4d0b71-aeaa-48ef-b9eb-f69384726649https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2023/06/portland-mayor-ted-wheeler-proposes-jail-time-fines-for-open-drug-use-as-od-deaths-mount.htmlhttps://www.rti.org/impact/oregon-drug-decriminalizationhttps://www.oregonlive.com/news/2023/05/most-oregon-voters-think-drug-addiction-homelessness-crime-are-worse-because-of-measure-110-poll-says.htmlhttps://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/oregon-1st-state-to-decriminalize-possession-of-hard-drugshttps://www.kptv.com/2023/08/15/manager-oregons-drug-decriminalization-program-resigns/https://www.vox.com/23759086/oregon-homeless-housing-crisis-tina-kotek#:~:text=The%20state%20has%20seen%20a,shelter%20beds%20to%20serve%20them.https://web.archive.org/web/20210202072132/https:/elections.ap.org/kezi/results/2020-11-03/state/OR/race/I/raceid/39142https://twitter.com/MorganGodvin/status/1692333882362974524https://seattlemedium.com/local-policymakers-look-to-criminalize-public-drug-use/https://www.opb.org/article/2022/09/20/oregon-measure-110-drug-decriminalization-substance-abuse-treatment/https://app.powerbigov.us/view?r=eyJrIjoiODU1NDNlNzUtMDBkNy00NTM1LWE4NzgtNGEyNzQxYWY0NTU2IiwidCI6IjY1OGU2M2U4LThkMzktNDk5Yy04ZjQ4LTEzYWRjOTQ1MmY0YyJ9&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdeliveryhttps://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/01/opinion/oregon-drug-failure.htmlhttps://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/10.2105/AJPH.2018.304514https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2023/07/oregon-drug-decriminalization-results-overdoses/674733/https://twitter.com/JStein_WaPo/status/1691180636642430976https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0955395923002025https://truthout.org/articles/dont-blame-drug-decriminalization-for-what-the-housing-crisis-has-caused/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/30/opinion/on-one-issue-americans-are-united-too-many-are-behind-bars.htmlhttps://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2022/04/total-chaos-delays-dog-oregons-drug-decriminalization-law.htmlhttps://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/ag-paxton-co-leads-bipartisan-coalition-38-attorneys-general-expressing-support-congressional-actionhttps://www.opb.org/article/2022/02/03/oregon-had-second-highest-addiction-rates-in-the-nation-in-2020/https://transformdrugs.org/blog/drug-decriminalisation-in-portugal-setting-the-record-straighthttps://www.washingtonpost.com/national/how-republicans-pivoted-from-the-war-on-drugs-to-cutting-prison-sentences/2018/12/19/61846d04-0383-11e9-9122-82e98f91ee6f_story.htmlhttps://blogs.cdc.gov/nchs/2023/05/18/7365/https://www.opb.org/article/2023/04/19/fbi-data-oregon-crime-starts-to-go-down-in-2022/https://www.thenationwineclub.comhttps://www.oregon.gov/das/oea/Documents/DOCForecast202304.pdfhttps://www.ccsa.ca/sites/default/files/2019-04/CCSA-Decriminalization-Controlled-Substances-Policy-Brief-2018-en.pdfhttps://ballotpedia.org/Oregon_Measure_110,_Drug_Decriminalization_and_Addiction_Treatment_Initiative_(2020)https://www.bop.gov/inmates/fsa/overview.jsp#:~:text=The%20FSA%20modifies%20mandatory%20minimum,offender%20has%20one%20prior%20qualifyinghttps://www.kgw.com/article/news/health/oregon-measure-110-drug-treatment-detox-inpatient-withdrawal/283-5c570fd2-c7ff-4d55-98f9-5eb29829e4d9https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/drug-overdose-data.htmhttps://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/law-justice/oregon-study-finds-racial-disparities-in-drug-convictions/

Affiliate links

no affiliate links