Oregon Could Become the First State to Decriminalize Drugs in November

While I don’t think more meth, crack etc. is a good idea, I think criminalizing them and marginalizing addicted people from society has only made everything worse. Including the homeless problem.

“What we’re really trying to do is move substance use out of a criminal justice model and into a healthcare model where it belongs,” said Haven Wheelock, one of the initiative’s chief petitioners. Wheelock also works at downtown Portland’s Outside In, providing services to homeless youth and people who use drugs. “Punishing people for a substance use disorder is an ineffective way of changing people’s drug use behavior. We know that because we’ve been trying for a hundred years to punish people into not using substances, and it hasn’t worked.”

In the Netherlands, public restrooms are lit with blue light, so an addict can’t find a vein. It’s legal there, but they’ve taken steps to drive people to seeking help.

1 Like