Oregon lawmakers… bill to recriminalize drug possession, step up access to treatment
…lawmakers in both parties offer up proposals that would make drug possession a crime for the first time in three years… reinstituting criminal penalties for possession of a controlled substance by making the offense a class C misdemeanor… crime classification… punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a fine of as much as $1,250… the product of that effort, HB 4002… lengthier sentences for drug dealers, longer involuntary holds, and re-criminalization of drugs... is being hammered as harmful by decriminalization advocates, and insufficient by Republicans…
“Any action by the Oregon legislature that criminalizes addiction would be cruel, harmful, and a failure of leadership,” said the statement, released on behalf of the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon, Health Justice Recovery Alliance, Drug Policy Alliance, Partnership for Safety and Justice and other groups that support Measure 110. “We cannot regress back to the failed war on drug tactics that harm Black, brown, and poor people and make drug addiction, overdose deaths, and homelessness more difficult and expensive to solve.” The state’s district attorneys and police have argued that drug possession should be a class A misdemeanor, the most serious kind, punishable by up to a year in jail… ..Max Williams, the former lawmaker and Department of Corrections said, “Anything short of reclassifying deadly drugs as a Class A misdemeanor crime will be inadequate to effectively steer more people into more treatment more quickly.” Class A misdemeanor… punishable by up to a year in jail, a fine of up to $6,250, or both.
Original Article (JPR & OPB):
Oregon Democrats unveil bill to recriminalize drug possession, step up access to treatment & Oregon lawmakers are floating a plan to make low-level drug possession a crime once again
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