Oregon got trapped in the same pit that swallowed mental health care in the US after Reagan. For years mental health professionals had been advocating for closi

Oregon got trapped in the same pit that swallowed mental health care in the US after Reagan. For years mental health professionals had been advocating for closing the big, unhealthy hospitals and switching to a community-based group home model. Reagan never saw a budget cut he didn't like (except for defense), so he jumped at the chance to cut funding for mental hospitals. He skipped over the part about opening up community-based group homes, and provided no money for it. Result: an explosion of homelessness and untreated mental health conditions. Decriminalizing drugs should be paired with treatment and support, but that costs money and people still have a the old "drug addiction is a moral failing and people should just say no" mindset. Without sufficient money to treat drug addiction and support addicts while they are treated, decriminalization simply fails.