Liberal governor recriminalizes drugs. because the left's ideas don't work

If you are not a liberal at 25, you have no heart. If you are not a conservative at 35 you have no brain-- Unknown

Winston Churchill is often credited with the above quote, but there is no proof he actually said those words. However, its validity rings true because when we look at liberal ideas that have been instituted, they tend to fall apart over time.  

Democratic Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek has legislatively completed its U-turn on a policy that didn't last long: the decriminalizing of the possession of small amounts of certain drugs. She signed a law that reverses Measure 110, which was instituted in 2020. The voters in her state approved the decriminalizing of most illegal possession and controlled substance offenses and redirect a major chunk of Oregon's marijuana tax revenue to fund grants for addiction services. That's like allowing underage children to drink alcohol then use tax money to fund alcohol recovery programs for children.

But in spite of the stupidity of this leftist move of decriminalization, about 58% of Oregonians approved the measure. As a result, addiction and  deaths from overdose have skyrocketed in the state and across the country, as fentanyl began coming in over the border.

By August, 56% of Oregonians said they disapproved of the pioneering drug law and both Republicans and Democrats introduced legislation to roll back the controversial measure.

See, when the problem comes to their own neighborhoods, the finally remove their heads from the clouds [or in most cases, their nether regions] and walk back the stupid plans. So far, California is still having their heads up their nether regions, so it's going to take more time for the various problems to come to the neighborhoods of those at the top of the food chain. Of course this also addresses the homelessness, immigration and not simply the drug problems.

The new walk-back law, HB 4002, takes effect on September 1, and makes so-called personal use possession a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail. It allows cops to confiscate the drugs and crack down on their use in parks and on the street. The law also establishes pathways to treatment as an alternative to prison time by encouraging law enforcement agencies to create deflection programs that would divert people to addiction and mental health services instead of the criminal justice system.

In a signing letter, Kotek said the law’s success will depend on "deep coordination" between courts, police, prosecutors, defense attorneys and local mental health providers, describing them as "necessary partners to achieve the vision for this legislation, so defunding the police is no longer on the Oregon agenda.

Oregon House Republican Leader Jeff Helfrich said he supports Kotek’s decision and said it was a crucial first step toward addressing the ongoing drug crisis in the state.

"Republicans stood united and forced Democrats to do what Oregonians demanded: recriminalize drugs," Helfrich said, according to KEZI.

Rep. Tim Knopp, (R-OR), agreed with Helfrich’s sentiments and said it brings an end to the liberal experiment although more needs to be done to address the state’s drug crisis.

"Make no mistake, this bill is not enough to undo the disaster of Measure 110," Knopp said in a statement. "House Republicans are ready to continue the work we started and bring real change to Salem in the next session."

"Now that the Governor has given the re-criminalization bill her stamp of approval, we can finally end the chapter on Oregon’s experiment with decriminalizing hard drugs."

"HB 4002 is not a perfect solution; legislators will have much more work to do in upcoming sessions. But it sets a standard for how the state should approach the drug addiction crisis: by empowering law enforcement and our behavioral health systems to work together to help Oregonians struggling with chronic addiction seek life-saving treatment."

So while fentanyl overdoses rose over 500% in Multnomah County alone, between 2018 and 2022, it's waking the left up to the crisis and Democrats are doing the "Moon Walk" in reverse.

It's time the adults took over.

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