Oregon State Democrat Gov. Tina Kotek has signed a bill recriminalizing hard drugs in a notable departure from the state's previous liberal stance on drug policy. The policy, which takes effect in September, comes after a 90-day state of emergency was declared in downtown Portland in February because fentanyl abuse had caused such a staggering health and public safety crisis. Bringing back the criminalization of hard drugs is a “big deal” in a progressive state such as Oregon, said Portland lawyer Kristin Olson, according to Fox News, adding the move indicates a greater cultural shift.The bill, signed Monday, reverses a law from 2020 that decriminalized drug-related offences, including possession of most illegal substances and amended the state's marijuana tax structure to allocate funding for addiction services.While 58% of Oregon residents approved of the 2020 move, since then addiction and overdose deaths have significantly spiked in the state — largely with fentanyl as the culprit. By August 2023, 56% of residents said they disapproved and both Democrat and Republican representatives proposed new legislation to overhaul the change from a few years prior. Under the new policy, personal use possession will be a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail. Police can confiscate drugs and crack down on hard drug use in public places such as parks and sidewalks. The upcoming legislation also allows for addiction treatment to be offered in lieu of criminal prosecution. Kotek said the policy requires "deep coordination" between courts, police, prosecutors, defense attorneys and local mental health providers, declaring these entities to be “necessary partners” for the bill’s success. Oregon House Republican Leader Jeff Helfrich said his party prior to Kotek’s signature “stood united and forced Democrats to do what Oregonians demanded: recriminalize drugs,” according to local media KEZI.Republican Tim Knopp applauded the move that will bring the liberal’s loose stance on drugs to its knees. "Make no mistake, this bill is not enough to undo the disaster of Measure 110," said Knopp. "House Republicans are ready to continue the work we started and bring real change to Salem in the next session. Now that the governor has given the recriminalization bill her stamp of approval, we can finally end the chapter on Oregon’s experiment with decriminalizing hard drugs."He added that the new bill is “not a perfect solution.”“Legislators will have much more work to do in upcoming sessions,” he said. “But it sets a standard for how the state should approach the drug addiction crisis by empowering law enforcement and our behavioral health systems to work together to help Oregonians struggling with chronic addiction seek life-saving treatment."
