(NewsNation) — Oregon is once again criminalizing the personal use of recreational drugs such as methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin. It brings an end to a three-year, first-in-the-nation experiment.
Small amounts of hard drug possession — which as of yesterday was not a crime — is now a crime again.
It follows legislation passed in March to recriminalize drug use and possession. Under the previous measure, possession of illicit drugs came with a ticket and a maximum $100 fine.
Portland Police Association president Sgt. Aaron Schmautz joined “Weekdn Morning in America” on Sunday to discuss why drug decriminalization didn’t work.
“It was more of a referendum on law enforcement,” Schmautz contended.
“It was more about concerns about over-policing of certain communities. And what we saw then was a lot of stripping of the ability of law enforcement to respond to the crises we’re seeing on the street.
“Fentanyl has washed over our communities. We’re having record overdose deaths from kids in high school all the way up to parents in their homes. It’s just a really significant crisis, and that led to the changing of this law.”
According to the Associated Press, 28 of Oregon’s 36 counties have applied for grants to fund deflection programs. The commission is slated to hand out $20 million for this in the next 12 months.
Per, Portland Police Chief Bob Day, deflection can only be achieved if there are no priors and the individual is “medically stable.”