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Wednesday, November 11, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Oregon decriminalizing hard drugs
By Andrew Selsky
Associated Press
SALEM (AP) 4 In a first
in the nation, Oregon has
rejected charging drug users
with criminal offenses, with
voters passing a ballot mea-
sure that decriminalizes pos-
session of heroin, metham-
phetamine, LSD, oxycodone
and other hard drugs.
<Today9s victory is a land-
mark declaration that the time
has come to stop criminal-
izing people for drug use,=
said Kassandra Frederique,
executive director of the
Drug Policy Alliance, which
was behind the measure.
<Measure 110 is arguably the
biggest blow to the war on
drugs to date.=
The measure completely
changes how Oregon9s jus-
tice system treats those who
are found with personal-use
amounts of the hard drugs.
Instead of going to trial
and facing possible jail time,
a person would have the
option of paying a $100 fine
or attending new <addiction
recovery centers= funded by
millions of dollars of tax rev-
enue from Oregon9s legalized,
regulated marijuana industry.
The passage of the mea-
sure makes Oregon, which in
1973 became the first state to
decriminalize marijuana pos-
session, a pioneer in America
in trying the same with hard
drugs. The measure takes
effect 30 days after the elec-
tion, but the punishment
changes don9t take effect until
February 1. Addiction recov-
ery centers must be available
by October 1.
It may sound like a radical
concept, but the initiative9s
backers said making crimi-
nals out of drug users 4 lock-
ing them up and burdening
them with criminal records
that made it difficult to find
housing and jobs 4 was not
working.
One in 11 Oregonians is
addicted to drugs, and nearly
two people die every day from
overdoses in the state, the
Oregon Nurses Association,
the Oregon Chapter American
College of Physicians and the
Oregon Academy of Family
Physicians had said in support
of the measure.
<We urgently need a
change to save families and
save lives,= they wrote.
About 3,700 fewer
Oregonians per year will
be convicted of felony or
misdemeanor possession of
controlled substances now
that the measure has passed,
according to estimates by
the Oregon Criminal Justice
Commission.
The measure will also
likely lead to significant
reductions in racial and eth-
nic disparities in both convic-
tions and arrests, the commis-
sion, which is an official state
agency, said.
While this approach is
new in the U.S., several coun-
tries, including Portugal, the
Netherlands and Switzerland,
have already decriminalized
possession of small amounts
of hard drugs, according to
the United Nations.
Portugal9s 2000 decrimi-
nalization brought no surge
in drug use. Drug deaths fell
while the number of people
treated for drug addiction in
the country rose 20% from
2001 to 2008 and then sta-
bilized, Portuguese officials
have said.
<This is such a big step
in moving to a health-based
approach instead of criminal
punishment, and we9re devot-
ing significant new resources
to help Oregonians who need
it,= said Janie Gullickson,
co-chief petitioner of
Measure 110.
The Law Offi ce of
JOHN H. MYERS, LLC
— Downtown Sisters —
WILLS & TRUSTS
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Make i it easy for you and your loved ones.
Call
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fo a free 30-minute consultation.
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541-588-2414
The measure was being
approved by 59 percent
of roughly 2 million votes
counted so far, according to
the secretary of state9s office.
Two dozen district attor-
neys said the measure was
reckless and would lead to
an increase in the accept-
ability of dangerous drugs.
Two other district attorneys,
including the one in Oregon9s
most populous county and
that includes Portland, backed
the measure, as did a district
attorney-elect.
The measure does not
apply retroactively to past
convictions, but there
may be efforts through the
Legislature to expunge those
criminal records, which the
Drug Policy Alliance would
support, said its spokesman,
Matt Sutton.
Oregon voters on Tuesday
also legalized therapeutic use
of psilocybin mushrooms,
with a two-year development
period. War veterans with
PTSD, terminally ill patients
and others suffering from
anxiety had voiced support.
The measure requires the
Oregon Health Authority
to allow licensed, regulated
production and possession of
psilocybin, exclusively for
administration by licensed
facilitators to clients.
Before Tuesday9s elec-
tions, Oregon was among 11
states as well as Washington,
D.C., that had legalized
marijuana.
Several other states are
following suit. Voters in
Arizona, Montana, New
Jersey and South Dakota all
approved ballot measures
Tuesday legalizing marijuana
for adults.
Winter driving
conditions have arrived
Winter weather snuck up
on Sisters Country and much
of the West this week.
With the arrival of snow
and freezing tempera-
tures, Oregon State Police
reminded drivers of the
importance of some basic
safety tips:
" First thing first, check
your route and the weather.
Use www.tripcheck.com for
updated road closures and
chain requirements.
" Drive slowly. Always
adjust your speed down to
account for lower traction
when driving on snow or ice.
" Accelerate and decel-
erate slowly. Apply the gas
slowly to regain traction
and avoid skids. Don9t try
to get moving in a hurry and
take time to slow down for a
stoplight.
" Remember: It takes
longer to slow down on icy
roads. Increase your follow-
ing distance to five to six
seconds. This increased mar-
gin of safety will provide
the longer distance needed if
you have to stop.
" Know your brakes.
Whether you have anti-lock
brakes or not, keep the heel
of your foot on the floor and
use the ball of your foot to
apply firm, steady pressure
on the brake pedal.
" Don9t stop if you can
avoid it. There9s a big differ-
ence in the amount of inertia
it takes to start moving from
a full stop versus how much
it takes to get moving while
still rolling. If you can slow
down enough to keep rolling
until a traffic light changes,
do it.
" Don9t power up hills.
Applying extra gas on snow-
covered roads will just make
your wheels spin. Try to get
a little inertia going before
you reach the hill and let that
inertia carry you to the top.
As you reach the crest of the
hill, reduce your speed and
proceed downhill slowly.
" Don9t stop going up a
hill. There9s nothing worse
than trying to get moving
up a hill on an icy road. Get
some inertia going on a flat
roadway before you take on
the hill.
" It is also a good idea to
stay home and only go out if
necessary. Even if you can
drive well in bad weather,
it9s better to avoid taking
unnecessary risks by ventur-
ing out.
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