Drug overdoses spike 700% after state decriminalizes drugs
When Oregon voters approved a ballot measure in 2020 to decriminalize hard drugs, they were promised the lives of everyone would be improved and funds would be diverted to addiction recovery centers for which $300 million was allotted.
But after more than one year, the rate of overdoses has spiked, and few offenders have used the treatment centers, DailyMail.com reported.
At a legislative hearing Thursday, Steve Allen, Oregon's behavioral health director, acknowledged a "dramatic" increase in overdoses and overdose deaths statewide. One Republican state lawmaker said that her Southern Oregon community of Grants Pass has suffered a 700% increase in overdoses and a 120% increase in deaths.
The state law, which went into effect in February 2021, was the first of its kind in the nation. It made possession of Class E controlled substances – such as heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine – a "violation" rather than a felony or misdemeanor, carrying a maximum fine of $100. The fine can be waived if the offender calls a hotline for a health assessment.
But only 91 of the 1,885 people who received tickets for personal possession in the first year called the hotline.
https://www.wnd.com/2022/06/drug-overdoses-spike-700-state-decriminalizes-drugs/