As Oregon reaches the three-year anniversary of passing its trailblazing law decriminalizing hard drugs like heroin, meth and cocaine, death and devastation are pushing many to plead for its reversal.
Opioid-related deaths in the Beaver State have skyrocketed to 955 this year, up from 280 in 2019 before the law – Measure 110 – was passed with 58% approval.
“This breaks my heart,” Michael Bock, a private security guard in Portland, said of the drastic change Monday on “America’s Newsroom.” “What happened before 110 got passed was that I revived zero people. Since 110’s passing, it’s almost daily…
“These are our friends. They are brothers, fathers, sisters, cousins… we’re talking about the loss of life, and we have to do something different. This is serious,” he continued.
According to an August poll from Emerson College, a 56% majority of Oregonians now support overturning the law, which made possession of some illicit drugs punishable by a maximum $100 fine which can be avoided with a “health assessment” – a 24/7 phone service that will help determine what services the person calling might need.
