Democratic lawmakers in Oregon are set to recriminalize possession of small amounts of drugs. The bill aims to avert deadly drug overdoses and incentivize convicted drug users to seek treatment.
Lawmakers in Oregon are moving to recriminalize the possession of small amounts of drugs after it faced rampant public drug use and saw overdose-related deaths more than triple.
The lawmakers supporting 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.