With Oregon facing rampant public drug use, lawmakers backpedal on pioneering decriminalization law

By CLAIRE RUSH
Associated Press

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Democratic lawmakers in Oregon have unveiled a sweeping new bill that would undo a key part of the state’s first-in-the-nation drug decriminalization law. The bill would recriminalize the possession of small amounts of drugs as a low-level misdemeanor. The lawmakers backing the bill say it would allow police to confiscate drugs and reduce public drug use. It would also create new diversion opportunities with the aim of steering people toward treatment instead of jail. The proposal comes as the fentanyl crisis has helped fuel growing pushback against the state’s pioneering drug decriminalization law, which voters approved in 2020.