The Oregon Trail: Breaking Down the State’s Dramatic New Take on Drugs
The 2020 elections were historic. Not only for the contentious and extremely controversial race for U.S. presidency, but the massive strides made by the cannabis community. The election process secured a big win for weed proponents as voters in five states passed some form of legalization.
In other news, the most buzz-worthy story coming out of election day took shape in the state of Oregon, which passed legislation that has left some singing praise, and others uttering a collective “huh?”.
Oregon voters made the monumental decision to decriminalize all drugs — hardcore narcotics such as heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine among them. Despite what social media may tell you, decriminalization does NOT mean legalization. Under Measure 110, possession of small amounts of the aforementioned is considered personal use, and therefore punishable by monetary violations, opposed to jail time.
The move marks another progressive step ahead for the state that was first in the country to decriminalize marijuana possession in 1973.
Although Oregon’s decision was initially startling, it starts to make sense when examined from a harm reduction standpoint. The new initiative will emphasize using revenue from legal cannabis to provide access to drug treatment resources, all without raising taxes in the process. Supporters of the law believe Oregon will reap major cost savings by essentially eliminating the hefty cost tag that accompanies arresting, prosecuting, and incarcerating citizens on petty possession offenses.
If we’re being real here, Oregon has just gifted us with a flat out, documented admission that the so-called War on Drugs has been a mega failure. The fed-fueled movement has proven ineffective on a wide variety of fronts, including its inability to neutralize a black market that continues to bring in billions of dollars every damn year.
Like I said, Oregon is no stranger to playing the role of trailblazer when it comes to drug reform. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this same trend adopted by other states in the very near future. And I welcome it.
Contel Bradford is a mystical and complex individual. You can attempt to unravel some of the mystery by visiting his freelance site at contelbradford.com.
