4 ms·
I'm an Oregon resident. I disagree to an extent. Oregons drug decriminalization failed because of a few reasons that are plain to see: - The people who wrote
by oooyay 3y ago
I'm an Oregon resident.
I disagree to an extent. Oregons drug decriminalization failed because of a few reasons that are plain to see:
- The people who wrote the measure did not prescribe how it should be done, just what it should achieve.
- The measure demanded changes be immediate, which didn't jive with a very slow running, heavy bureaucracy like Oregons government. More importantly, time was not given for the social services pipelines to fill with cash and plans.
- The law did not also ban public drug use, it depended on the legislature doing this - which they never did. This was the big tipping point. You don't forget the smell of meth or fent, especially outside your grocery store or kids school.
This was a master class in when head in the clouds thinking meets legislative elites who are outright insulted when the people flex their voice.
I do think we'll revisit this again in the future, but hopefully next time we at least ban public drug use.
- wormius 3y agohopefully next time we at least ban public drug use. "The law in its majestic equality forbids the rich as well as the poor from sleeping under bridges" - Anatole France
- oooyay 3y agoI think I get what you're saying, but you're not being super clear with that quote. Ideally before we ban public drug use with punitive measures we solve free housing for the homeless. It is a known problem, specifically in Portland, that people come here to be homeless. That is a problem in itself because our tiny city can't shoulder the nations burdens. I was mainly speaking directly to what backfired with our approach to substances. Public drug use, whether it be alcohol or otherwise, should not be on the general public to deal with.
- AnarchismIsCool 3y agoYeah, I'm saddened that everyone is jumping on the "whelp, back to the war on drugs" band wagon... This is a thing we can do and make work, plenty of other places have had success with it, we just keep doing things in the most Kafka-esque way possible.
- dmitrygr 3y ago> plenty of other places have had success with it Which places, and what do you call success? The only place in the world that seems to have drugs handled properly is Singapore.
- chownie 3y agoWith the always caveat that no other nation can replicate what Singapore does without widespread use of slavery or culling/exiling the poor.
- jorvi 3y agoNot only that, people (well, mammals) want to get high. Alchohol is so much more destructive than weed or MDMA, on both a personal or societal scale. If you’d ban alcohol, people will just sniff glue or start brewing their own bathtub hooch. Legalization + proper harm reduction + strict enforcement on public (ab)use is ultimately the way. You get a triple win of tax income, freed up police resources and less pressure on the healthcare system.