The Failure of Oregon’s Hard-Drug Decriminalization

In November 2020, Oregonians voted overwhelmingly in favor of a ballot measure to decriminalize hard drugs, including methamphetamine and heroin. The measure, the first of its kind in the nation, replaced the threat of jail time for people convicted of possession of hard drugs with a maximum $100 citation and an invitation for the cited individual to call a toll-free number to undergo a drug evaluation in lieu of paying the fine. The measure reallocated about $100 million from the state’s robust cannabis-tax fund to drug-treatment programs in an effort to bolster treatment options.

Supporters of the measure, funded by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, the American Civil Liberties Union, and Drug Policy Action, a national drug-liberalization group affiliated with George Soros, argued that it would usher in a more just, humane, and effective approach to managing addiction. Results from the first year of Oregon’s experiment with hard-drug decriminalization, however, suggest it is failing.