Oregon Revives the Drug War

Portland, Oregon—Measure 110, the landmark statewide drug decriminalization initiative that Oregon passed in 2020 with 58 percent of the vote, had no sooner gotten off the ground than its most prominent plank—which decriminalized the possession of small amounts of drugs—was scuttled by the state Legislature this past April. House Bill 4002 recriminalizes “user” amounts of drugs, allowing people to avoid jail time of up to six months only if they seek treatment right away, while leaving in place the grant funding for low-barrier treatment programs created by Measure 110. Its...