Way back in ancient times (Nov. 2020), Oregon voters passed a law that decriminalized the possession of small amounts of hard drugs.
It was a libertarian and a hard-left victory for personal choice. The meddling government wasn't going to step in and arrest people for having hard drugs. Just like the founders wanted ... or something.
But Utopia didn't come. And now, Oregon lawmakers are wanting take-backsies.
Another miracle of progressivism!
In only 3 years the decriminalization of drugs has led to such bad outcomes that Oregon is trying to undo the damage.
If only lefties realized the consequences to ALL of their policies.
A bill recriminalizing the possession of small amounts of drugs was passed by the Oregon Legislature on Friday, undoing a key part of the state's first-in-the-nation drug decriminalization law as governments struggle to respond to the deadliest overdose crisis in US history.
The state Senate approved House Bill 4002 in a 21-8 vote after the House passed it 51-7 on Thursday.
The bill now heads to the desk of Gov. Tina Kotek, who said in January that she is open to signing a bill that would roll back decriminalization, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported.
Yeah, the House, the Senate, and Oregon's governor are all regretful of the consequences of the decriminalization law.
And these are those consequences:
From Oregon Public Broadcasting:
In 2019, 280 people died of a drug overdose in Oregon. Fatalities rose every year after, more than tripling by 2022, when 956 died. And last year, even more people died, according to preliminary data. Each month the number has been higher than the previous year, reaching 628 in June. The state is still compiling data for 2023, but if the trends continue, the total would reach 1,250 deaths from an overdose.
That is an insane increase, and it doesn't account for all the people zombie-walking the streets out there who are still alive but have lost their homes, families, jobs, and minds to this stuff.
The number of patients seeking help in emergency departments and urgent care centers also rose last year to more than 300.
The overdose trend is expected to continue this year.
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