Worthy Christian News > US News > Oregon first state to decriminalize possessing small quantities of heroin, cocaine, ecstasy

Oregon first state to decriminalize possessing small quantities of heroin, cocaine, ecstasy

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – Oregon has become the first state to decriminalize possessing small quantities of hard drugs including methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin, UPI reports. Following a ballot measure approved last year, the new ‘Measure 110’ law took effect on Monday.

Commenting on Measure 110, Oregon State Police Capt. Timothy Fox said in a statement: “Possession of larger amounts of drugs, manufacturing, and distribution are still crimes. With a crime, there is the possibility of fines and jail time. [With civil] violations, there is only the possibility of fines.”

According to the UPI report, “the law decriminalizes heroin possession under 1 gram; less than 2 grams of methamphetamine; less than 2 grams of cocaine; under 40 units of LSD; less than a gram of MDMA, or Ecstasy; less than 12 grams of psilocybin; less than 40 units of methadone and less than 40 oxycodone tablets.” Possession in these circumstances is now a civil offense that carries a $100 fine, which can be paid by undergoing a health assessment, UPI said. Moreover, the new law reduces the possession of larger amounts of cocaine, heroin, ecstasy, and methamphetamine from a felony to a simple possession misdemeanor.

Measure 110 also provides that tens of millions of dollars from Oregon’s marijuana tax will fund addiction treatment for violators, UPI reports. In a statement about Oregon’s approach, Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-N.J. said: “I hope that we all become more enlightened across this country that substance abuse is not something that necessitates incarceration, but speaks to other social ills — lack of healthcare, lack of treatment, things of that nature.”
The Oregon District Attorney’s Association has described the new law as “dangerous” and “reckless,” UPI reports.