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.

Tweet

Oregon Gov. moonwalks backwards, recriminalizing illicit drugs again

Drug hideout

Oregon's Democrat Gov. Tina Kotek is finished with the stoner state's slow deterioration in large part due to the left's decriminalization of illicit drugs. Seeing used needles, homeless addicts living in tents on the streets of cities like Seattle, isn't a good look for her and her political ambitions, so she will sign a bill to make it a crime to use illicit drugs. It isn't so much that she or others in her party care about the misery drug use brings to town, but it's more about her and her ilk staying in power.

House Bill 4002 reverses the short-lived Measure 110, a 2020 law that leftist voters approved of to decriminalize most illegal possession of controlled substance offenses, and take the marijuana tax revenue to fund grants for addition service interventions.

"I intend to sign House Bill 4002 and the related prevention and treatment investments within the next 30 days. As governor, my focus is on implementation," a desperate Kotek (D) said in a statement Thursday.

The 2020 measure has allowed a skyrocketing of overdose deaths over the last two years.

HB 4002 will now give druggies an ultimatum: Be criminally charged or get treatment if you get caught with drugs such as like fentanyl and methamphetamine.

It also makes the possession of small amounts of drugs such as heroin or methamphetamine a misdemeanor, punishable by up to six months in jail or a harsh scolding, and it enables cops to confiscate the drugs and crack down on their use on sidewalks and in parks.

The bill also aims to make it easier to prosecute people who sell drugs and increase access to addictive medication.

Druggie (D-OR)

"My office will work closely with each implementing authority to set expectations, specifically in response to the Criminal Justice Center’s Racial Equity Impact Statement, which projected disproportionate impacts to communities of color and the accompanying concerns raised by advocates. House Bill 4002 will require persistent action and commitment from state and local government to uphold the intent that the legislature put forward: to balance treatment for individuals struggling with addiction and accountability," the statement read.

Kotek (D), Portland Mayor Ted 'Do Nothing' Wheeler (D) and Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson (D) declared a 90-day state of emergency last month for downtown Portland (D) over the public health and public safety crisis fueled by fentanyl (China).

Portland private security guard Michael Bock spoke with Fox News last month saying that fentanyl overdoses rose by 533% in Multnomah County, the state's most populous county, between 2018 and 2022. Dealers sell drugs on the street with "absolute impunity," he said, and hand out drugs like they are a "7-Eleven."

"With this bill, we are doubling down on our commitment to make sure Oregonians have access to the treatment and care that they need," Senate Majority Leader Kate Lieber (D) of Portland said. She is one of the bill's authors and said that its passage will "be the start of real and transformative change for our justice system."

Tweet