Oregon Decriminalizes Hard Drugs

It is no longer a misdemeanor to possess heroin, crack, fentanyl or LSD in the state of Oregon.  Paul Best of Fox News reports that the state’s Drug Addiction Treatment and Recovery Act, adopted last November, which takes effect today, essentially makes the possession of small amounts of even the most dangerous drugs an infraction, punishable by referral to treatment.  More than 100 organizations endorsed the measure.  Proponents cite studies of Portugal, the Netherlands and Switzerland, which decriminalized hard drugs years ago without dramatic negative effects other than increased drug use.  If drug use is no longer punishable in Oregon, yet dealing drugs remains illegal, will drug dealing become more and less profitable as drug use increases?   Under the new law, drug users will be connected with the services they need at Addiction Recover Centers.  The new law provides no consequences for addicts who do not show up for evaluation or treatment.