What are your thoughts on Oregon's decision to re-criminalize drug possession after initially decriminalizing it? Do you think the state should have followed Portugal's model more closely, or is re-criminalization the right move?
Fact is, Canada did it sooner, decriminalization that is. Fact is, the radio broadcasts flaunted zero deaths. Fact is, it took a half hour for this nurse to dig into Canada stats n find over 300% OD rate in the surrounding area. "Zero deaths, IN the facility "
In Portland there is no question the police were against helping druggies anywhere but jail. The Portland police "union" official tells you so on numerous press releases. Portland po-po btw is the very last large metropolitan agency to put body cams to their cops. These facts are related.
@TheDroppedAnchor in what facility would you like ems, the cops, to put a person who is now most def a harm to self and potentially others? M.H. services, even with delayed wait times, is often better than 48/50. Why has there not been equal money spent on prisons/jails spent in the community?
So as an Oregon resident I have personally it was one of the worst things for drugs to be decriminalized I lost one of my best friends because she started using when it was decriminalized
“Until there are other systems in place..” “There aren’t enough beds…” They didn’t have the resources to help the people that were seeking treatment. The people who needed treatment couldn’t pay because Medicaid wouldn’t cover it. Re-criminalizing is just punishing people for being poor. There is no beds in treatment centers, they have no place to go. Rather than invest in treatment facilities they would rather just put people in jail. Which in the long run will only cost the government more money.
Costing the government more money through incarceration and related justice services is the preferred outcome overall. More "criminals" necessitates more funding allocations, simultaneously increasing long-term revenue generation through court mandated fees, prison services, probation, and all related justice services. In addition, the state's cheap and profitable labor pool increases. So prisons and prisoners are paid for several times over. The decriminalization, and treatment approach was left underutilized, underfunded, and/or completely disregarded as existing where it could make a difference with existing infrastructure. People were never informed that they could call a substance abuse hotline instead of facing citation fees and related penalties. Broadly, destined to be deemed ineffective and unsuccessful objectively. So once again, criminalization seems the only viable option. But regardless of how many people end up incarcerated, or legally bound otherwise to the government/state, no matter the increasing "costs" required, there won't ever be an issue with underutilization, underfunding, or broad support withholding to limit the effectiveness of the State and related justice department. Furthermore, an example is made to deter any future ideas or actions deviating from the status quo to be propagated to the public at large. Now you should understand that there's little coincidence or accidents in the end. Helping and treating people doesn't help maintain or secure revenue. But incarcerating/incriminating people does.
@@donaldlyons17huge amount do become heavy users though and end up costing us tax payers huge amounts of money to rehabilitate or help treat with the mass of health problems that come from using.
The reason Portugal succeeded at this, and Oregon didn't. Take the time to read it slowly. Let it sink in. "It's very difficult to identify a causal link between decriminalisation by itself and the positive tendencies we've seen ... It's a total package. The biggest effect has been to allow the stigma of drug addiction to fall, to let people speak clearly and to pursue professional help without fear.' Dr João Goulão Architect of Portugal's decriminalisation policy
Its like they didnt hire the necessary personnel to achieve better results. They intentionally didn't implement policies and remedies. Get it together, hire more case workers, and organizers.
Someone said it best in the comments below, its basically most cities in the USA. This is one of the many results of a country rotting from the inside.
they also took responsibility when They'd step out of line and not blame perfectly good drugs, but the people who get to decide now have full pockets, they can promise whatever they want because it doesn't matter to them who're just grateful or lucky to even have a pocket! it's truly tragic.
In Portland there is no question the police were against helping druggies anywhere but jail. The Portland police "union" official tells you so on numerous press releases. Portland po-po btw is the very last large metropolitan agency to put body cams to their cops. These facts are related.
I live in portland, and measure 110 was a joke from inception. I also worked in the field of addiction for 1 years. So if the addict got a ticket, they were never concerned? Nothing happened if they didn't follow through 😂
@gabet7333 yes I have and it was 12 years and I'm very well aware of the disease model of addiction. I'm also an addict in recovery since 1980. It's not the addict /alcoholics fault, JUST THEIR RESPONSIBLITY! Consequences are an important part of recovery
There is a lot of profit in keeping people sick, keeping people in poverty and preventing access to basic needs. They get federal funding and if we havent all noticed the consistent audit findings of missing funding, yet they continue to get funding.
It's not isolated to Portland. It has spilled into smaller communities where it has more devastating effects. It's a failed policy and I worry that it will take years to clean up the state.
I live in Portland and believe that the intention behind decriminalizing drugs was good. However, it has proven to be a complete failure. I am extremely exhausted by the sight of needles scattered all over the ground. It deeply disturbs me to witness kids walking the streets with a piece of tin foil in one hand and a lighter in the other. While I have compassion for those battling addiction, I also understand the sentiments of individuals who simply want to lead their lives and walk on the same streets they contribute taxes to, without being constantly exposed to the consequences of drug use being decriminalized.
Until there is access to free/subsidized treatment and housing for addicts nothing will change. Oregon only did half of what they needed to do. Decriminalization is important but so are treatment and support systems.
In Oregon people are failing to connect the dots. Most counties in Oregon rely on grants, especially after the shake up of the timber industries. So Oregon needed to figure out a new route of grants. Enter the homeless and addicts. You wonder why Oregon doesn't have enough treatment centers. It's because they don't want a solution. Organizations are getting billions in grant money, yet homelessness and addiction have grown. And these organizations are still running community into groups putting together and asking how to fix, using grant money to sol VC e homelessness to fund research groups where they have 3 day conferences and put people up in hotels wasting grant money and since the federal government doesn't have a division that makes sure grants are being spent properly It's a vicious cycle. And it's gonna get worse because in areas in southern Oregon who do get help from the mills around are about to get reality check with small mills shutting down. And there won't be an explanation in the rise of homelessness since we've all been told that spotted owl was reason we've been told . Towns must find a was to care for there own find compassion and understanding. And adult adoption by families .
It hasn't worked. I know one of the criticisms is that the program hasn't been properly supported, but it has. Vancouver, Canada tried it as well, to equally horrendous results. I live in Seattle, which sits in between these two cities, and I am committed that the same idea is not tried here. I've had to call 9-1-1 on overdosed folks repeatedly, because I am one of the few who overcomes the bystander effect and stops and checks on them. Most people here will literally sidestep an addict flopped over in the middle of the sidewalk, and we are supposed to be one of the most progressive cities in the US. Addiction is a disease, not something to be treated as a responsible adult choice. This goes against the super woke ethos in Pacific Northwest culture, but the rampant drug use is not just a danger for addicts, it is a danger for first responders and children and adults who happen to be around it and is destroying our cities.
@@Scorch1028 Not sure what you mean by that. We lost the war on drugs, because the government, stupidly, treated it like a supply issue instead of a demand problem.
@@philosopher2king we lost the 'war on drug people' by not recognizing that criminalization is the reason people get high in the first place. you can't criminalize people.
We were dooped.. they never said this measure would decriminalize hard drugs. The way I remember it was they were pushing that the tax revenue from marijuana dispensaries would fund addiction services. I didn't know that it made hard drugs legal. It's my fault for not reading the actual measure and going off what was being said. I would have NEVER voted for this
Portugal has a heart for its people and they keep trying until they find something that works. They genuinely care about their people . The US does not care about us and they would rather wait around for us to die or destroy ourselves.
The reason it doesn't work: Human nature. For a program to ever show a modicum of success, data indicates it must be integrally focused and administrated at the policy, LE, and treatment levels based on three elemental core principles: ● Define addiction as an illness; ● Eliminate the distinction between hard and soft drugs; and ● Concentrate on an individual’s unhealthy relationship with drugs and the likely accompanying frayed connections between the addict, others, and the world at large.
There is a BIG difference between legalizing drugs and decriminalizing them. Legalization essentially means a free for all where addicts are using, with impunity in public. The decriminalized process imposes treatment on addicts, without weighing them down with the burden and stigma of a criminal record for something that should be met with a clinical and therapeutic approach. Oregon will continue to be a zombieland hellscape (I live there) until this shift is made. The key to discernment is knowing the difference between what is right and what is ALMOST right. Oregon stopped punishment for those in the throws of addiction, but it didnt implement an avenue for recovery... or even an incentive for that matter. Quite the opposite... people get free, clean supplies, their risk of using is diminished, so now they go harder than ever, feeling as though there is a safety net ro catch them if they "go too far".
The problem is that Oregon USA does not do things exactly how they do in Portugal. There are many aspects and important issues Portugal invests funds their money where needed. I believe that Oregon and the rest of the USA isn't willing to allow funding for helping any of its homeless Citizens get better by receiving the proper help needed. The people who run this country do not care about us. You remember that they gave money to Ukraine at the same time Maui was devastated by the wildfires. Sent money to "help" Ukraine and then told Maui they had no more funds to help its own Citizens. If that doesn't clearly show that the Government does not prioritize US. And if this was a true democracy , I'm certain that the taxpayers would have there taxes used to help our Citizens first, if we actually had a choice to do what is important to us here at home. It's a very sad time and embarrassing to be an American. I am not proud to be a citizen of this country. The people who we are voting for are not representing our best interests as they promised to do.
Here's some TRUTH WHY I am moving to OR this summer. I bought a small piece of property right on the coast. Right now, I live next door, in Idaho. I cannot receive competent medical care in this state. *FULL STOP*
Competent healthcare ... do you feel 54% is better in OR or Idaho? Do you feel Wa state MH services is Regans fault to become 48/50 or 40 years of 1 party rule?
You did catch that dude WALKED to a worse state to get care? My bet he didn't walk to Cali so he went to a worse state for care... so much journalisming
@@leav388 Like I said....Idaho would rather see me dead as opposed to providing *BASIC* healthcare. Are you aware TWO northern Idaho hospitals have *CLOSED* their Ob/GYN departments?
Lets be completely honest here! They made it not a crime for one reason. To fail. Never did they actually make it a successful decriminalizing. They just said "Ok. Well go ahead and do drugs." With no follow through or solutions to the problems that we(Portland residents 😢) clearly saw it was going to lead to. Like I've always said... " they set it up to FAIL"
Oregon leadership isn’t even capable of executing on an initiative such as this. All they did is waste an insane amount of money, where is all the money?? If it didn’t go to treatment where is it??
I live in Portugal, the policy approach can work but it's not a miracle. We still have drug addicts and it has been increased steadily specially after Covid and the increase of synthetic drugs. These policies work only if the social web works. If people are struggling with basics needs (housing and food prices have skyrocketed) a lot more will use drugs and the support offer will NOT be enough in the US, Portugal or anywhere else.
I stayed in the society hotel a few years ago. i remember sitting there watching people slam fentenyl right across the street out my room window almost every time. i looked out the window it was the same thing, haha
I'm just 2 minutes into this, but it sounds like Oregon wanted to decriminalize drugs without implementing the social reintegration aspect that made Portugal's program so successful. Of course it's not going to work if you don't do it right!
Oregon officials seemed to think that what worked in Portugal would work in Oregon. They were dead wrong. In the U.S., allowing Americans to use hard drugs in public, was a huge mistake.
110 NEVER allowed public use of drugs. The politicians and the cops are choosing to not stop it and blame it on the measure. Read it, it says nothing about allowing use in public. Use in public = drugs confiscated + $100 fine, so why are the cops allowing public use?
Bro it's good to not put people in jail for getting high. But where are the programs without programs and doctors working with the courts it would never work. That's WhY Portugal so successful
Oregon should've never decriminalized hard drugs! All that money spent should've went to building more rehab places and more jail space with treatment available. Recriminalization is the way to go. We love our beautiful state and want our safe place back!
Let us not try to prevent overdoses, let's do it to clean up the streets and alleyways. Theft is a side-effect of addiction. Narcan is just an enabler.
Narcan saves lives. If you are implying that Narcan is an enabler because it doesn't let folks die, then I pray you or your loved ones don't fall prey to addiction. That doesn't mean that Oregon's approach is right, but there has to be a happy medium between the nonsense of permitting drug use and the nonsense of not caring what happens to these folks.
addiction is a side affect, a direct result, of societies ills, of which america has legion. like arrogant semisociopaths who only have guts online and brains nowhere.
Also I can attest all that money that was supposed to go towards helping treatment did not it went into politicians pockets and their families pockets and the businesses that they wanted to funnel that money through it didn't go towards treatment the treatment centers did not increase like they said it would
There are people attempting to capitalize on generational wealth. Not through drugs, but through the stock market. What was found was that the same institutions paid for by taxes, are complicit in suppressing price actions that would gain generational wealth for the average person through their investment with funds gained and taxed from their hourly jobs. I would agree with another poster here. We need some spiritual introspection as a society.
Decriminalization just makes it easier to take illegal unregulated drugs which just exacerbates the problem with the street drug market. Full legalization and regulation is the only way to make an experience the safest it can be while also controlling the market. Regulating a portion of all profits to go the to rehabilitation and treatment sector would make it a self contained system where the size of its users dictates the amount of rehabilitation and treatment available. And as usual, the common punishment for any disorderly conduct while under the influence takes care of the spill over into the rest of society
I'm pretty sure that's the Canada model. 300% OD deaths in the surrounding area. None in facilities. I'm accepting of this only flipping the dead body supply problem...
@@adriannamatos865 What ever I want and that's how it should be. For a diabetic, eating sugar is a death sentence, should sugar be illegal because there are diabetics? Or should you just learn how to control yourself better since all your problems are your own fault? Just because there's an edge doesn't mean you have to jump off it.
YOU'RE EXACTLY RIGHT! People resort to bootleg fentanyl because they can't buy safer drugs! That's one of the main reasons they relegalized alcohol. I guess it would also quit pissin people off if they quit doing it on people's front porches or w/e. I'm for freedom, as long as it doesn't hinder others' basic human rights. There's also a hidden thing severely exaserbating destructive behavior and all our problems that not many people know about, yet, believe it or not. I can't type it out, anymore, here, but I have the info and e-v-i d ence if you come find it.
It went HORRIBLE😂 Meanwhile I was getting ripped apart for saying it. A lot of people claim psychedelics help get over trauma or to break an addiction, if that’s true why not do that? I think Oregon is one of the states that allow it done by a medical professional. I’ve seen Veterans helped by psychedelics but they didn’t have a history of hardcore drug use. Also I like how for years people have blamed the government agencies for “getting everyone hooked” meanwhile they’re taking free hand outs now 😂🤦♂️
You know, oddly enough I hear and read this sentiment regularly, every year. More every 4th year. Without deviation. Little change for improvements while the unproductive, easy and convenient blaming ensures not much changes here, or there..
I was born and raised in Oregon. I know reside in Washington. Oregon has become soooo scary that having a home there is not ever going to happen, this saddens me greatly but I want to stay alive...
weird... I too lived in Oregon most of my life and ****NOW**** live in Washington. Sounds like you've been drinking the delulu juice and forgot that addicts ARE PEOPLE TOO. They don't need people like you to judge them, they're already struggling. I think people like you make a place more unlivable than they do, at least they can be helped. Seriously what are you so scared of?
I was going to ask how Portugal managed to afford their program, and then I remembered they are one of the infamous 4 European countries that couldn’t manage their debt. Italy, Greece, and Spain were the others IIRC
I'm a dentist in Atlanta GA. I've been practicing for just shy of 29 years. Believe me when I tell you, the DEA would be in my office in 20 minutes if I wrote a prescription for that much hydrocodone. Before I can even write a prescription for a patient I have to go to a government website and run a background search on said patient to make sure they aren't getting narcotics or benzodiazepines from anyone else. If I fail to run the search before the patient tries to fill the prescription, I have committed a crime. I get emails about every single prescription I write for scheduled substances along with a monthly report. I am given a grade on my prescribing compared to other prescribers. So those who suffer from addiction are not getting opioids or benzos from dentists in my state. Most states have a similar program. So now patients that need pain meds often can't get them or in a sufficient quantity. Recently my father-in-law passed away from mesothelioma. He was given 30 Tylenol #3. He was in absolute agony , but couldn't get the medicine he needed until he entered hospice. The war on drugs was never about drugs was never about drugs! The war on drugs is about controlling people of color and anti-war liberals as described by John Ehrlichman . My dad is a pharmacist, and as I said earlier, I am a dentist. I've been around drugs my whole life. The war on drugs has been an absolute failure, cost trillions of dollars and given the US the highest number of incarcerated per capital in the entire world. Sorry, but your off hand comment has absolutely infuriated me. Do a little research before you say such ridiculous things in the future.
Portugal has a heart for its people and they keep trying until they find something that works. They genuinely care about their people . The US does not care about us and they would rather wait around for us to die or destroy ourselves. SO VERY SAD BUT SO VERY TRUE.
Problem is that employers with both OSHA requirements and substance abuse policies requiring drug testing end up firing the user. One bad choice is all it takes and your world gets turned upside down. With no income the user has to find other ways to support their habit to even the unthinkable like stealing. Pray for the people who decided to seek recovery, lift up without handing out.
Funny thing in WA state. Poor farmers in E WA paying climate commitment taxes to fund a train on a floating bridge... I want a construction worker zooming that train to show off a Washington apple with the price tag
@23joanlee You are the problem darling. That's why the people in the eastern part of the state would like to abdicate From the nuts that live in the west.
The problem is that this stuff incentivizes drug use rather than fix it. I understand the drug withdrawal angle but drug use does not need to be public and out on the streets when you're not actually treating people and trying to fix the problem.
On the part of drug users, it requires the WILL and DESIRE to break free from drugs, get clean and stay that way. Somehow, we need to regain the taboo and stigma that drug addiction causes. Throwing increasing amounts of funding at the problem won't work if the drug users are not willing to even TRY to improve themselves. Spending thousands of dollars per person per year is not sustainable or fiscally responsible if the old drug users don't even try to quit -- that leaves no money to help new people. Tickets and $100 penalty fees sounds like a good start. Regular jail sentences probably don't offer much deterrence -- it's often better accommodation than drug users have otherwise. It's just a nice free place to stay and get food.
This has been a nightmare. Not small amounts it was large amounts. I am tired of working w some functioning addicts that can't do their job. The max line (blue line) often smells like drugs, I have to smell someone's addiction that's insane!!!!!!
Some people have been managing their drug use very well, not everyone was a raging drug addict, some work normal jobs and function as a part of society and you would never even know it.
Public use needs to be illegal--similar to alcohol--time place and manner. Possession alone shouldn't be criminal. This was an inadequate implementation of drug policy and completely predictable. Sabotage?
It’s crazy how if you have good insurance, like I do from my employer, then these places roll out red carpet, I’ve always gotten in right away, literally same day.
That dude at the methadone van may not be on smack anymore but he is just as high and dependent on the methadone. I'm all for harm reduction but call it what it is. Its government rationed intoxication. Many methadone clients pop a handful of benzos before dosing and end up in the same boat as the guy OD on smack.
As a former Democrat, one thing that's so frustrating is when Democrats REFUSE to admit they messed up 🫤 I'm happy to see there are people who are able to admit they messed up
@@Catillia85 Yes, but the point is, I haven't seen the country messed up this bad in my lifetime. I keep hearing that Joe is cleaning up Donald's mess but that feels like an excuse 😕
Perhaps the poor execution, poorly supported programs, and unsuccessful end result wasn't a "mess up". Especially if it intially introduced large sums of new funding because changing policy afterwards doesn't negate that funding. Now back-pedal back into the status quo, that's lucrative and profitable as is. Because ultimately, who cares about alternatives that don't line pockets and generate greater revenue? The State sure doesn't but must pretend otherwise. Oregon policymakers made a great show. But as usual, here or there, nothing really changed concerning public health and/or general public support. But I'm certain plenty of money transacted as a result
I feel bad for the Indian guy. Any type of addiction is considered shameful on the family and many addicts from his culture are often disowned by their family. I was in detox with an Arab guy and we talked the whole 2 weeks we were there. This was NYC and he used to run a bodega with his family. He had a car and apartment and made good money. As soon as his family found out about his problem he was disowned and became homeless. He is continuing to drink himself to death because he is so hurt by the rejection of his family. I hope his family isn't as traditional and is supportive and there for him.
Decriminalization was never about advancing progressism through personal freedom. It was a means to ensure subjugation through weakened minds and reliance of government control. The Democrat procedure.
Isn't 110 the umbrella for decriminalization of drugs and the housing bureau and treatment centers for the homeless housing for homeless people with children and addicts? Or im confused
his record is 3? the last time i oded (im sober now) it took 6 nasal Narcan's and 2 defibrillations to the heart and that was just to get my pulse going again I actually didn't regain consciousness for 13 more hours. that was right outside of Portland in Milwuakie this is also the reason i got clean!
Its already criminalized again. I don't believe people should be locked up and fined for it. Adiction is still not fully understood. Isolation and blame does not help the situation.
Serious question. What if we stopped administering narcam and just let people die in the street? I hate it. But I hate paying to kick the issue down the road by funding narcam doses with my tax dollars.
I live in eastern oregon thank God far away from any big city but I won't go through Portland anymore it's the worst city in this country I watch someone overdose in front on me
What are your thoughts on Oregon's decision to re-criminalize drug possession after initially decriminalizing it? Do you think the state should have followed Portugal's model more closely, or is re-criminalization the right move?
Fact is, Canada did it sooner, decriminalization that is. Fact is, the radio broadcasts flaunted zero deaths. Fact is, it took a half hour for this nurse to dig into Canada stats n find over 300% OD rate in the surrounding area. "Zero deaths, IN the facility "
In Portland there is no question the police were against helping druggies anywhere but jail. The Portland police "union" official tells you so on numerous press releases.
Portland po-po btw is the very last large metropolitan agency to put body cams to their cops.
These facts are related.
@TheDroppedAnchor in what facility would you like ems, the cops, to put a person who is now most def a harm to self and potentially others? M.H. services, even with delayed wait times, is often better than 48/50. Why has there not been equal money spent on prisons/jails spent in the community?
WHO GIVES a dam if these PARACITES OD!!!@@ericjohnson5617
I think,we need more God, and less freedom,be accountable for our actions.
Well, you you do something half-assed, you get half-assed results.
You’re opinion is invalid
@@Gameztime562 Cool story bro
So as an Oregon resident I have personally it was one of the worst things for drugs to be decriminalized I lost one of my best friends because she started using when it was decriminalized
Vote differently.
“Until there are other systems in place..”
“There aren’t enough beds…”
They didn’t have the resources to help the people that were seeking treatment. The people who needed treatment couldn’t pay because Medicaid wouldn’t cover it.
Re-criminalizing is just punishing people for being poor. There is no beds in treatment centers, they have no place to go. Rather than invest in treatment facilities they would rather just put people in jail. Which in the long run will only cost the government more money.
Costing the government more money through incarceration and related justice services is the preferred outcome overall. More "criminals" necessitates more funding allocations, simultaneously increasing long-term revenue generation through court mandated fees, prison services, probation, and all related justice services.
In addition, the state's cheap and profitable labor pool increases. So prisons and prisoners are paid for several times over.
The decriminalization, and treatment approach was left underutilized, underfunded, and/or completely disregarded as existing where it could make a difference with existing infrastructure. People were never informed that they could call a substance abuse hotline instead of facing citation fees and related penalties. Broadly, destined to be deemed ineffective and unsuccessful objectively.
So once again, criminalization seems the only viable option. But regardless of how many people end up incarcerated, or legally bound otherwise to the government/state, no matter the increasing "costs" required, there won't ever be an issue with underutilization, underfunding, or broad support withholding to limit the effectiveness of the State and related justice department.
Furthermore, an example is made to deter any future ideas or actions deviating from the status quo to be propagated to the public at large.
Now you should understand that there's little coincidence or accidents in the end.
Helping and treating people doesn't help maintain or secure revenue. But incarcerating/incriminating people does.
They could quit using!
It's something that you will never understand if you are not in the same shoes
@@tomtroy3792 Well but from what I have seen some people just never become heavy users....
@@donaldlyons17huge amount do become heavy users though and end up costing us tax payers huge amounts of money to rehabilitate or help treat with the mass of health problems that come from using.
The reason Portugal succeeded at this, and Oregon didn't. Take the time to read it slowly. Let it sink in. "It's very difficult to identify a causal link between decriminalisation by itself and the positive tendencies we've seen ... It's a total package. The biggest effect has been to allow the stigma of drug addiction to fall, to let people speak clearly and to pursue professional help without fear.'
Dr João Goulão Architect of Portugal's decriminalisation policy
No one stands to profit by this information so it likely won't be propagated
Its like they didnt hire the necessary personnel to achieve better results. They intentionally didn't implement policies and remedies.
Get it together, hire more case workers, and organizers.
Every major city in the U.S.A looks just like Portland.
This has nothing to do with Oregon law.
EXCEPT Oregon never looked like this until the passage of 110! You are WRONG.
I live in PDX. The perspective in this is ridiculous.
How
What they did was make the drug dealers a rack of money
The decriminalized drugs at the same time fentanyl came out. This problem is all over the united states it's fentanyl not decriminalizing anything.
Someone said it best in the comments below, its basically most cities in the USA. This is one of the many results of a country rotting from the inside.
Back in my day people had the decency to hide their drug use
they also took responsibility when They'd step out of line and not blame perfectly good drugs, but the people who get to decide now have full pockets, they can promise whatever they want because it doesn't matter to them who're just grateful or lucky to even have a pocket! it's truly tragic.
Exactly and the giggling or being a bit paranoid is extremely different from being bent over in half like a sandwich for hours
so you don't care about drug addiction or addicts. You only care about seeing it. got it..
@@funman4tw1 I concur and would like to add just because u didn't see, or hear about it when u were growing up, doesn't mean it didn't exist!
@@funman4tw1 No I’d rather not see it but that’s where compassion got my city into. Now all I see is Junk And Junkies
That whole state is trash bro 😂🤡
Facts go to stayton 😭😭
Great then stop moving here not welcome
This is what Seattle looks like.
It’s more than just Portland.
And parts of Vancouver bc
In Portland there is no question the police were against helping druggies anywhere but jail. The Portland police "union" official tells you so on numerous press releases.
Portland po-po btw is the very last large metropolitan agency to put body cams to their cops.
These facts are related.
I live in portland, and measure 110 was a joke from inception. I also worked in the field of addiction for 1 years. So if the addict got a ticket, they were never concerned? Nothing happened if they didn't follow through 😂
Drug addiction is medically a disease. You worked on addiction?
@gabet7333 yes I have and it was 12 years and I'm very well aware of the disease model of addiction. I'm also an addict in recovery since 1980. It's not the addict /alcoholics fault, JUST THEIR RESPONSIBLITY! Consequences are an important part of recovery
@@gabet7333it’s a choice not a disease just like there are only two genders
There is a lot of profit in keeping people sick, keeping people in poverty and preventing access to basic needs. They get federal funding and if we havent all noticed the consistent audit findings of missing funding, yet they continue to get funding.
It's not isolated to Portland. It has spilled into smaller communities where it has more devastating effects. It's a failed policy and I worry that it will take years to clean up the state.
Agree going to small towns like stayton and aumsville you see it
And especially seaside and Astoria
I live in Portland and believe that the intention behind decriminalizing drugs was good. However, it has proven to be a complete failure. I am extremely exhausted by the sight of needles scattered all over the ground. It deeply disturbs me to witness kids walking the streets with a piece of tin foil in one hand and a lighter in the other. While I have compassion for those battling addiction, I also understand the sentiments of individuals who simply want to lead their lives and walk on the same streets they contribute taxes to, without being constantly exposed to the consequences of drug use being decriminalized.
But filling the prisons with the non violent has worked so well.
Until there is access to free/subsidized treatment and housing for addicts nothing will change. Oregon only did half of what they needed to do. Decriminalization is important but so are treatment and support systems.
You guys all realize this the government fault right?
It absolutely ruined my city I believe whomever thought this was a good idea needs to be jailed
Dumbacraps
In Oregon people are failing to connect the dots. Most counties in Oregon rely on grants, especially after the shake up of the timber industries. So Oregon needed to figure out a new route of grants. Enter the homeless and addicts. You wonder why Oregon doesn't have enough treatment centers. It's because they don't want a solution. Organizations are getting billions in grant money, yet homelessness and addiction have grown. And these organizations are still running community into groups putting together and asking how to fix, using grant money to sol VC e homelessness to fund research groups where they have 3 day conferences and put people up in hotels wasting grant money and since the federal government doesn't have a division that makes sure grants are being spent properly
It's a vicious cycle. And it's gonna get worse because in areas in southern Oregon who do get help from the mills around are about to get reality check with small mills shutting down. And there won't be an explanation in the rise of homelessness since we've all been told that spotted owl was reason we've been told .
Towns must find a was to care for there own find compassion and understanding. And adult adoption by families .
Facts
I live in Oregon , were all not on drugs and we don't go to Portland !
Passing a law without the infrastructure it needs is a mistake. But hindsight is always 20/20
It hasn't worked. I know one of the criticisms is that the program hasn't been properly supported, but it has. Vancouver, Canada tried it as well, to equally horrendous results. I live in Seattle, which sits in between these two cities, and I am committed that the same idea is not tried here. I've had to call 9-1-1 on overdosed folks repeatedly, because I am one of the few who overcomes the bystander effect and stops and checks on them. Most people here will literally sidestep an addict flopped over in the middle of the sidewalk, and we are supposed to be one of the most progressive cities in the US. Addiction is a disease, not something to be treated as a responsible adult choice. This goes against the super woke ethos in Pacific Northwest culture, but the rampant drug use is not just a danger for addicts, it is a danger for first responders and children and adults who happen to be around it and is destroying our cities.
Everyone who says: "We lost the War On Drugs" should pay for their own rehab.
@@Scorch1028 Not sure what you mean by that. We lost the war on drugs, because the government, stupidly, treated it like a supply issue instead of a demand problem.
@@philosopher2king we lost the 'war on drug people' by not recognizing that criminalization is the reason people get high in the first place. you can't criminalize people.
Addiction may be a disease, but the only way anyone ever defeats it is by making a conscious choice to stop using.
Nope, it's not a disease.
We were dooped.. they never said this measure would decriminalize hard drugs. The way I remember it was they were pushing that the tax revenue from marijuana dispensaries would fund addiction services. I didn't know that it made hard drugs legal. It's my fault for not reading the actual measure and going off what was being said. I would have NEVER voted for this
Whoever put this together probably never dealt with addicts
Portugal has a heart for its people and they keep trying until they find something that works. They genuinely care about their people . The US does not care about us and they would rather wait around for us to die or destroy ourselves.
The reason it doesn't work: Human nature.
For a program to ever show a modicum of success, data indicates it must be integrally focused and administrated at the policy, LE, and treatment levels based on three elemental core principles:
● Define addiction as an illness;
● Eliminate the distinction between hard and soft drugs; and
● Concentrate on an individual’s unhealthy relationship with drugs and the likely accompanying frayed connections between the addict, others, and the world at large.
So how does the poorest state in the country WV can still cover the cost of inpatient care. It's free for the addict
There is a BIG difference between legalizing drugs and decriminalizing them.
Legalization essentially means a free for all where addicts are using, with impunity in public. The decriminalized process imposes treatment on addicts, without weighing them down with the burden and stigma of a criminal record for something that should be met with a clinical and therapeutic approach.
Oregon will continue to be a zombieland hellscape (I live there) until this shift is made. The key to discernment is knowing the difference between what is right and what is ALMOST right. Oregon stopped punishment for those in the throws of addiction, but it didnt implement an avenue for recovery... or even an incentive for that matter. Quite the opposite... people get free, clean supplies, their risk of using is diminished, so now they go harder than ever, feeling as though there is a safety net ro catch them if they "go too far".
You can not build an airplane while it's flying .
That’s a really good analogy 😂
Exactly why he used those words.
The problem is that Oregon USA does not do things exactly how they do in Portugal. There are many aspects and important issues Portugal invests funds their money where needed. I believe that Oregon and the rest of the USA isn't willing to allow funding for helping any of its homeless Citizens get better by receiving the proper help needed. The people who run this country do not care about us. You remember that they gave money to Ukraine at the same time Maui was devastated by the wildfires. Sent money to "help" Ukraine and then told Maui they had no more funds to help its own Citizens. If that doesn't clearly show that the Government does not prioritize US. And if this was a true democracy , I'm certain that the taxpayers would have there taxes used to help our Citizens first, if we actually had a choice to do what is important to us here at home. It's a very sad time and embarrassing to be an American. I am not proud to be a citizen of this country. The people who we are voting for are not representing our best interests as they promised to do.
Here's some TRUTH WHY I am moving to OR this summer. I bought a small piece of property right on the coast. Right now, I live next door, in Idaho. I cannot receive competent medical care in this state. *FULL STOP*
Competent healthcare ... do you feel 54% is better in OR or Idaho? Do you feel Wa state MH services is Regans fault to become 48/50 or 40 years of 1 party rule?
You did catch that dude WALKED to a worse state to get care? My bet he didn't walk to Cali so he went to a worse state for care... so much journalisming
We live on the Oregon coast and cannot get competent medical care here either.
@@leav388 Like I said....Idaho would rather see me dead as opposed to providing *BASIC* healthcare. Are you aware TWO northern Idaho hospitals have *CLOSED* their Ob/GYN departments?
Same problem in Or
There's a vast difference in Portugal.
Compassion for the trauma of addiction, love for the human being, and consequences for the behaviors.
The leaders of this state should be put in prison !!!
The voters should be also.
Democrat utopia
Lets be completely honest here! They made it not a crime for one reason. To fail. Never did they actually make it a successful decriminalizing. They just said "Ok. Well go ahead and do drugs." With no follow through or solutions to the problems that we(Portland residents 😢) clearly saw it was going to lead to.
Like I've always said...
" they set it up to FAIL"
Oregon leadership isn’t even capable of executing on an initiative such as this. All they did is waste an insane amount of money, where is all the money?? If it didn’t go to treatment where is it??
Going back to the same problem isn't a solution, as two wrongs don't make a right.
Because a drug addict would care about either a $100 fine or a phone number.
And I’m sure following up on a $100 fine would have become a priority.
I live in Portugal, the policy approach can work but it's not a miracle. We still have drug addicts and it has been increased steadily specially after Covid and the increase of synthetic drugs. These policies work only if the social web works. If people are struggling with basics needs (housing and food prices have skyrocketed) a lot more will use drugs and the support offer will NOT be enough in the US, Portugal or anywhere else.
I stayed in the society hotel a few years ago. i remember sitting there watching people slam fentenyl right across the street out my room window almost every time. i looked out the window it was the same thing, haha
The record's 3! I've had pts that I've revived at least 8 times sadly
We have a van that our clinic sends from portland down south to dispense methadone, I believe it's the only one in the state...
That's what's up. I'm back on methadone here in Texas. Great clinic.
That's what's up. I'm back on done in Texas at an great clinic. That fetty is so hard to get off.
I'm just 2 minutes into this, but it sounds like Oregon wanted to decriminalize drugs without implementing the social reintegration aspect that made Portugal's program so successful.
Of course it's not going to work if you don't do it right!
I call shade, this didn't stand a chance without beds for short term or lifetime facilities with daily treatment like insane asylums.
Oregon officials seemed to think that what worked in Portugal would work in Oregon. They were dead wrong. In the U.S., allowing Americans to use hard drugs in public, was a huge mistake.
I live in Oregon, they have been using in public since before the law passed.
110 NEVER allowed public use of drugs. The politicians and the cops are choosing to not stop it and blame it on the measure. Read it, it says nothing about allowing use in public. Use in public = drugs confiscated + $100 fine, so why are the cops allowing public use?
They don’t uphold the law here.
Bro it's good to not put people in jail for getting high. But where are the programs without programs and doctors working with the courts it would never work. That's WhY Portugal so successful
it's better then not attempting to do anything different! at least they attempted! the war on drugs has worked so well! 🙄
This is an a.s.p.c.a. commercial, where's Sarah singing, make me an Angel?
Oregon should've never decriminalized hard drugs! All that money spent should've went to building more rehab places and more jail space with treatment available. Recriminalization is the way to go. We love our beautiful state and want our safe place back!
It’s terrible! Drugs are destroying are cities
It's a epidemic, all from China made in Mexico delivered here to our American teens, incredibly scary And sad man.
People are fickle and sheepish.
Let us not try to prevent overdoses, let's do it to clean up the streets and alleyways. Theft is a side-effect of addiction. Narcan is just an enabler.
Narcan saves lives. If you are implying that Narcan is an enabler because it doesn't let folks die, then I pray you or your loved ones don't fall prey to addiction. That doesn't mean that Oregon's approach is right, but there has to be a happy medium between the nonsense of permitting drug use and the nonsense of not caring what happens to these folks.
you are the sort of cold fish my mom would like. you could be so miserable together.
addiction is a side affect, a direct result, of societies ills, of which america has legion. like arrogant semisociopaths who only have guts online and brains nowhere.
@@philosopher2king Who's responsibility is it to carry Narcan?
@@Scorch1028 What kind of question is that? No one has the duty to carry NARCAN.
Also I can attest all that money that was supposed to go towards helping treatment did not it went into politicians pockets and their families pockets and the businesses that they wanted to funnel that money through it didn't go towards treatment the treatment centers did not increase like they said it would
This is so wrong.
With how much $ all this makes you wonder why noone isnt capitalizing on this generational wealth
There are people attempting to capitalize on generational wealth. Not through drugs, but through the stock market. What was found was that the same institutions paid for by taxes, are complicit in suppressing price actions that would gain generational wealth for the average person through their investment with funds gained and taxed from their hourly jobs. I would agree with another poster here. We need some spiritual introspection as a society.
@@elreekosuaveh2509 it was my poorly worded jib towards politics and the idiocracy of some politicians u know profit off there subjects suffering
you honestly believe more than 1 isn't?
@@mrs.georgeglass3997 facetious comment
You can't simultaneously legalize drugs, and remove public social assistance
Decriminalization just makes it easier to take illegal unregulated drugs which just exacerbates the problem with the street drug market. Full legalization and regulation is the only way to make an experience the safest it can be while also controlling the market. Regulating a portion of all profits to go the to rehabilitation and treatment sector would make it a self contained system where the size of its users dictates the amount of rehabilitation and treatment available. And as usual, the common punishment for any disorderly conduct while under the influence takes care of the spill over into the rest of society
I'm pretty sure that's the Canada model. 300% OD deaths in the surrounding area. None in facilities. I'm accepting of this only flipping the dead body supply problem...
What are you smoking? As a recovering addict, legalization of these drugs would be a death sentence for thousands like myself.
@@adriannamatos865 nonono... we got Narcan on hand... fry away, zero deaths...
@@adriannamatos865 What ever I want and that's how it should be. For a diabetic, eating sugar is a death sentence, should sugar be illegal because there are diabetics? Or should you just learn how to control yourself better since all your problems are your own fault? Just because there's an edge doesn't mean you have to jump off it.
YOU'RE EXACTLY RIGHT! People resort to bootleg fentanyl because they can't buy safer drugs! That's one of the main reasons they relegalized alcohol. I guess it would also quit pissin people off if they quit doing it on people's front porches or w/e. I'm for freedom, as long as it doesn't hinder others' basic human rights. There's also a hidden thing severely exaserbating destructive behavior and all our problems that not many people know about, yet, believe it or not. I can't type it out, anymore, here, but I have the info and e-v-i d ence if you come find it.
It went HORRIBLE😂 Meanwhile I was getting ripped apart for saying it.
A lot of people claim psychedelics help get over trauma or to break an addiction, if that’s true why not do that? I think Oregon is one of the states that allow it done by a medical professional.
I’ve seen Veterans helped by psychedelics but they didn’t have a history of hardcore drug use.
Also I like how for years people have blamed the government agencies for “getting everyone hooked” meanwhile they’re taking free hand outs now 😂🤦♂️
Up here in British Columbia we saw it up close and personal. Now the government is back tracking hard.
Once Biden got in office things really went to sh%t politics aside.
You know, oddly enough I hear and read this sentiment regularly, every year. More every 4th year. Without deviation.
Little change for improvements while the unproductive, easy and convenient blaming ensures not much changes here, or there..
It's true!
I was born and raised in Oregon. I know reside in Washington. Oregon has become soooo scary that having a home there is not ever going to happen, this saddens me greatly but I want to stay alive...
weird... I too lived in Oregon most of my life and ****NOW**** live in Washington. Sounds like you've been drinking the delulu juice and forgot that addicts ARE PEOPLE TOO. They don't need people like you to judge them, they're already struggling. I think people like you make a place more unlivable than they do, at least they can be helped. Seriously what are you so scared of?
The province of BC tried the same misguided policies and achieved that same disastrous results.
I was going to ask how Portugal managed to afford their program, and then I remembered they are one of the infamous 4 European countries that couldn’t manage their debt. Italy, Greece, and Spain were the others IIRC
Meanwhile, you've got dentists in all 50 states giving out 30 day prescriptions of Vicodin for a toothache.
and in portugal you get advil at best after extracting a wisdom tooth :D
VA passing out Oxy like candy
@@parvuspeach A few days of pain vs a lifetime of addiction. That's my jam.
I'm a dentist in Atlanta GA. I've been practicing for just shy of 29 years. Believe me when I tell you, the DEA would be in my office in 20 minutes if I wrote a prescription for that much hydrocodone. Before I can even write a prescription for a patient I have to go to a government website and run a background search on said patient to make sure they aren't getting narcotics or benzodiazepines from anyone else. If I fail to run the search before the patient tries to fill the prescription, I have committed a crime. I get emails about every single prescription I write for scheduled substances along with a monthly report. I am given a grade on my prescribing compared to other prescribers. So those who suffer from addiction are not getting opioids or benzos from dentists in my state. Most states have a similar program. So now patients that need pain meds often can't get them or in a sufficient quantity. Recently my father-in-law passed away from mesothelioma. He was given 30 Tylenol #3. He was in absolute agony , but couldn't get the medicine he needed until he entered hospice. The war on drugs was never about drugs was never about drugs! The war on drugs is about controlling people of color and anti-war liberals as described by John Ehrlichman . My dad is a pharmacist, and as I said earlier, I am a dentist. I've been around drugs my whole life. The war on drugs has been an absolute failure, cost trillions of dollars and given the US the highest number of incarcerated per capital in the entire world. Sorry, but your off hand comment has absolutely infuriated me. Do a little research before you say such ridiculous things in the future.
Bullcrap you can't get anything unless you are rich.
Portugal has a heart for its people and they keep trying until they find something that works. They genuinely care about their people . The US does not care about us and they would rather wait around for us to die or destroy ourselves. SO VERY SAD BUT SO VERY TRUE.
Follow the money
Funding - why is it that Wa state is 48/50 in MH services? How big is the budget surplus? Choices.
It is a medical and a moral issue!!!! It's equality remember !!???EQUAL RIGHTS EQUAL RESPONSIBILITY OTHERWISE DONT WASTE PEOPLES TIME.. THANKS
Problem is that employers with both OSHA requirements and substance abuse policies requiring drug testing end up firing the user.
One bad choice is all it takes and your world gets turned upside down. With no income the user has to find other ways to support their habit to even the unthinkable like stealing.
Pray for the people who decided to seek recovery, lift up without handing out.
We in the eastern part of the state didn't vote for it to begin with.
Funny thing in WA state. Poor farmers in E WA paying climate commitment taxes to fund a train on a floating bridge... I want a construction worker zooming that train to show off a Washington apple with the price tag
so stay home.
@23joanlee You are the problem darling. That's why the people in the eastern part of the state would like to abdicate From the nuts that live in the west.
Eastern Oregon is home to racists and hateful conservatives masquerading as “Christians”. Help will never come from this quarter.
Some of "we" in the western part of the state didn't vote for this to begin with either.
Damage is done. I HATE IT HERE NOW! It's dangerous and gross and my taxes pay for it all. I didn't vote for it.
I moved out of downtown in 2019 best decision ever! Moved north of Vancouver it's beautiful here!
The problem is that this stuff incentivizes drug use rather than fix it. I understand the drug withdrawal angle but drug use does not need to be public and out on the streets when you're not actually treating people and trying to fix the problem.
On the part of drug users, it requires the WILL and DESIRE to break free from drugs, get clean and stay that way. Somehow, we need to regain the taboo and stigma that drug addiction causes. Throwing increasing amounts of funding at the problem won't work if the drug users are not willing to even TRY to improve themselves. Spending thousands of dollars per person per year is not sustainable or fiscally responsible if the old drug users don't even try to quit -- that leaves no money to help new people.
Tickets and $100 penalty fees sounds like a good start. Regular jail sentences probably don't offer much deterrence -- it's often better accommodation than drug users have otherwise. It's just a nice free place to stay and get food.
This has been a nightmare. Not small amounts it was large amounts. I am tired of working w some functioning addicts that can't do their job. The max line (blue line) often smells like drugs, I have to smell someone's addiction that's insane!!!!!!
What is it that you said? Were you answering something in the screenplay? Or something else that the voices were saying to you?
Measure 110 was written by people who actually wanted more people to be addicted because it's good money for outside in and other providers
I love being from Oregon. I remember when we had free health care
A growing presence of fentanyol...lol you mean a border policy effected this
Exactly
Some people have been managing their drug use very well, not everyone was a raging drug addict, some work normal jobs and function as a part of society and you would never even know it.
Cool cool. Those arent the ones we are disgusted by. Those arent the the ones ruining the city.
Public use needs to be illegal--similar to alcohol--time place and manner. Possession alone shouldn't be criminal.
This was an inadequate implementation of drug policy and completely predictable. Sabotage?
Likely
You vote left this is what you get!!! Vote better America
It’s crazy how if you have good insurance, like I do from my employer, then these places roll out red carpet, I’ve always gotten in right away, literally same day.
That dude at the methadone van may not be on smack anymore but he is just as high and dependent on the methadone. I'm all for harm reduction but call it what it is. Its government rationed intoxication. Many methadone clients pop a handful of benzos before dosing and end up in the same boat as the guy OD on smack.
methadone doesn't get you high
They tried that in BC Canada this year they even ordered in 3 kg heroine
As a former Democrat, one thing that's so frustrating is when Democrats REFUSE to admit they messed up 🫤
I'm happy to see there are people who are able to admit they messed up
And you think Republicans have a better record on that?? Have you had a recent head injury? I'll pray for you.
@@Catillia85 Yes, but the point is, I haven't seen the country messed up this bad in my lifetime. I keep hearing that Joe is cleaning up Donald's mess but that feels like an excuse 😕
Perhaps the poor execution, poorly supported programs, and unsuccessful end result wasn't a "mess up". Especially if it intially introduced large sums of new funding because changing policy afterwards doesn't negate that funding. Now back-pedal back into the status quo, that's lucrative and profitable as is. Because ultimately, who cares about alternatives that don't line pockets and generate greater revenue? The State sure doesn't but must pretend otherwise. Oregon policymakers made a great show. But as usual, here or there, nothing really changed concerning public health and/or general public support. But I'm certain plenty of money transacted as a result
@@fauxman1 It would be more of a surprise to me if that WASN'T what happened.
I feel bad for the Indian guy. Any type of addiction is considered shameful on the family and many addicts from his culture are often disowned by their family. I was in detox with an Arab guy and we talked the whole 2 weeks we were there. This was NYC and he used to run a bodega with his family. He had a car and apartment and made good money. As soon as his family found out about his problem he was disowned and became homeless. He is continuing to drink himself to death because he is so hurt by the rejection of his family. I hope his family isn't as traditional and is supportive and there for him.
“Substance abuse disorder “ LOL ADDICTION IS NOT A DISEASE IT IS A CHOICE
They didn't try to properly regulate them tho.
Decriminalization was never about advancing progressism through personal freedom. It was a means to ensure subjugation through weakened minds and reliance of government control. The Democrat procedure.
Isn't 110 the umbrella for decriminalization of drugs and the housing bureau and treatment centers for the homeless housing for homeless people with children and addicts? Or im confused
great coverage
Glad to see Gianna unhitched herself from vice news.
ooh, I thought you meant (in a video game)...
his record is 3? the last time i oded (im sober now) it took 6 nasal Narcan's and 2 defibrillations to the heart and that was just to get my pulse going again I actually didn't regain consciousness for 13 more hours. that was right outside of Portland in Milwuakie this is also the reason i got clean!
Its already criminalized again. I don't believe people should be locked up and fined for it. Adiction is still not fully understood. Isolation and blame does not help the situation.
Street drugs are not regulated....better do something. about that first
Serious question. What if we stopped administering narcam and just let people die in the street? I hate it. But I hate paying to kick the issue down the road by funding narcam doses with my tax dollars.
I live in eastern oregon thank God far away from any big city but I won't go through Portland anymore it's the worst city in this country I watch someone overdose in front on me