Oregon’s law decriminalizing small amounts of all street drugs went into effect Monday, making it the first state in the country to enact such a measure.
Those found with amounts of drugs for personal use – including heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, LSD, oxycodone and ecstasy – are now fined $ 100 in lieu of a criminal charge.
Known as Measure 110, the legislation was overwhelmingly approved by state voters in November. It focuses on providing treatment to drug users through newly funded addiction treatment centers.
“Today, the first domino of our brutal and inhumane war on drugs has fallen, which is expected to trigger a cascade of other efforts that put health at the center of action rather than criminalization,” Kassandra Frederique, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, said. the Associated Press. .
The law was not without opposition. Two dozen prosecutors argued that this would lead to the normalization of dangerous drugs.
Oregon is known as a forerunner in progressive drug laws.
In 1973, the state became the first in the nation to decriminalize marijuana. Then, in 2014, recreational marijuana became legal in Oregon.
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