Under the new law, possession of small amounts of drugs such as heroin or methamphetamine will be as a misdemeanor and punishable by up to six months in jail.

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek signed a bill Monday restoring criminal penalties for possessing small amounts of hard drugs, reversing a first-in-the-nation law that advocates had hoped would help quell a deepening addiction and overdose crisis.

Under the new law, the possession of small amounts of drugs such as heroin or methamphetamine will be classified as a misdemeanor and punishable by up to six months in jail.

Drug treatment will be offered as an alternative to criminal penalties.

  • sploosh@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    Exactly. The elected officials of Oregon failed and now they are covering for their failure by undoing the will of the voters instead of enacting the will of the voters.

    • monotremata@kbin.social
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      3 months ago

      I don’t even get how they have the authority to do this. Measure 110 was enacted as an amendment to the Oregon constitution, so it seems like it would require another amendment to rescind that and recriminalize possession.