Drug possession is no longer a felony offense in Oregon
HB 2355 applies to people found with any amount of cocaine or methamphetamine under two grams, any amount of heroin under one gram, any amount of oxycodone under 40 pills, any amount of MDMA ― also known as ecstasy ― under one gram or under five pills, and any amount of LSD under 40 units … Nearly 75 percent of Oregon voters supported defelonizing simple drug possession, according to a statewide poll conducted earlier this year. Police officials were also some of HB 2355′s most vocal supporters.
Although Rogers believes HB 2355 will significantly change the way low-level drug offenses affect people’s lives in Oregon, he noted that the new law is substantially different from decriminalization efforts in some other nations. In Portugal, for example, low-level drug offenders get a citation and an order to appear before a panel of legal, social and psychological experts, who can turn to a variety of alternatives to incarceration. By most metrics, the system has been highly successful. A similar policy may eventually make sense in Oregon, said Rogers. But for now, he’s happy his state has stepped away from the enforcement-first status quo while recognizing the inequities it has presented. “There is a strong argument for decriminalization, but we’re not at that point politically,” said Rogers. “Moving it to a misdemeanor is a recognition that there needs to be some accountability, but at the same time, we want to be able to help people rebuild their lives.” … Winters, the longest-serving African-American woman in Oregon Senate history, carried HB 2355 in the upper chamber, where it passed last month on a largely party-line vote. Although Winters said she’s “seen the lightbulbs go off” in the heads of her Republican colleagues on matters of criminal justice reform in recent years, most of them voted against HB 2355. She said conversations with constituents made it clear that Oregon needed a different approach to the issue of drugs. “If you get out in the community to see what really is, you will find that the drug user is at every economical level in every society in this country,” said Winters. “People need to get out and see what really is permeating our communities.” But some of the strongest opposition to HB 2355 came from Democratic state Sen. Betsy Johnson, who likened it to a “hug-a-thug policy” in an interview with The Washington Post. That sort of rhetoric is increasingly at odds with the thinking of Americans from across the political spectrum, as well as with members of the law enforcement community.
Original Article (Huffington Post):
Drug possession is no longer a felony offense in Oregon
Artwork Fair Use: Eric Friedebach
