By BRINLEE VUOLA
Staff Writer
On February 1st, Oregon made history by becoming the first state to decriminalize “illicit drugs” such as heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine. Instead of being charged with a criminal offense when carrying those drugs, it is now known to be a “civil offense” that can be paid off with only a $100 fine; that fine can be paid “by undergoing a health assessment,” according to UPI. Millions of dollars, furthermore, will be put to addiction treatment, and that money specifically came from Oregon’s marijuana tax fund.
Not only is the offense much less severe, but there is also a reduction of those large amounts of hardcore drugs that turn holding it into a possession misdemeanor rather than a felony. Of course, if someone is carrying copious amounts of heroin, for example, it isn’t necessarily something that law enforcers can slide under the table like nothing. For heroin specifically, the decriminalization occurs if someone is possessing under 1 gram of the substance; for methamphetamine and cocaine, it’s less than 2 grams, so on and so forth. Each drug has their own limit.
Oregon is the only state to decriminalize all these hard varieties of drugs so far; most states have only gotten to decriminalizing marijuana, and many states haven’t thought about taking the route Oregon has taken. Whether you agree with the state’s decision or not, it’s a change that I’m sure many people will remember.