In first vote, Oregon legislative committee passes bill to unwind drug legalization law
Oregon lawmakers on the joint addiction committee on Tuesday evening voted for a proposal to backtrack on Measure 110 and reshape the state’s approach to the drug addiction and overdose crisis after months of planning and an intensive three weeks of debate and reworking the proposal.
The committee’s bipartisan 10-2 vote to send the bill to the House came after wrenching testimony in a series of hours-long meetings by family members who lost loved ones to fentanyl as well as opposition from civil rights advocates and public defense attorneys. To become law, the bill needs to pass the House and Senate and be signed by Gov. Tina Kotek.
Democrats, who control the Legislature, say they have enough support for it to pass.
House Bill 4002 would put in place a new misdemeanor charge for drug possession, a move intended to motivate people to enter treatment with an estimated $211 million in funding for courts, community mental health providers, treatment programs, new “shovel-ready treatment facilities” and other clinics and services. The bill’s intention is to help people avoid criminal charges and keep them out of jail unless they violate their probation.
https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2024/02/29/in-first-vote-oregon-legislative-committee-passes-bill-to-unwind-drug-legalization-law/
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