Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek signed a bill Monday restoring criminal penalties for possessing small amounts of hard drugs, reversing a first-in-the-nation law that advocates had hoped would help quell a deepening addiction and overdose crisis. Under the new law, the possession of small amounts of drugs such as heroin or methamphetamine will be classified as a misdemeanor and punishable by up to six months in jail. Drug treatment will be offered as an alternative to criminal penalties.
It reduced penalties for possessing small amounts of hard drugs and established a framework to help people access treatment services. “We were too progressive,” said Jovannis Velez, an outreach worker with Recovery Works Northwest, which operates treatment centers throughout Oregon. “Society wasn’t ready for it.” Advocates of the original measure touted it as an opportunity to help people struggling with addiction get the help they need rather than face jail time.