iStockphoto / Composite
Oregonian man in 2021: “Officer, it’s just a little blow and smack. Relax.”
Oregonian officer in 2021: “Please administer your drugs safely and have a pleasant night.”
On Tuesday, history was made as voters made Oregon the first state to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of street drugs such as cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine.
Via CBS:
The Oregon drug initiative will allow people arrested with small amounts of hard drugs to avoid going to trial, and possible jail time, by paying a $100 fine and attending an addiction recovery program. The treatment centers will be funded by revenues from legalized marijuana, which was approved in Oregon several years ago.
“Today’s victory is a landmark declaration that the time has come to stop criminalizing people for drug use,” said Kassandra Frederique, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, which backed the measure.
Oregon also approved a measure making the state the first to legalize the therapeutic use of psychedelic mushrooms after a petition months ago amassed over 165,000 signatures.
According to IP 34’s website, “[mushrooms] are uniquely effective in treating depression, end-of-life anxiety, and addiction. A recent study from NYU showed that psilocybin therapy reduced depression and anxiety with cancer patients with 80 percent of patients, with few side effects.” Oregon has some of the highest rates of depression, anxiety, and addiction in the country.
Oregon would require patients go through a “three-step therapy process” before treatment and would restrict use to licensed therapy centers.