Oregon pioneered a radical drug policy. Now it's reconsidering. | Hacker News Reader

Oregon pioneered a radical drug policy. Now it's reconsidering.

npr.org

10 pointspseudolus4 comments

Downtown Portland is a shadow of what it was ~8 years ago. You can't even walk down a street without feeling threatened anymore. Nothing will change unless they increase police presence and allow the police to clean the place up.

They need to get rid of the homeless camps and eradicate public drug use. Nothing will change otherwise. Portland today is like NYC in the 1980s.

> Mendenhall said people are pointing at Measure 110 and saying it's the reason for Oregon's problems, "when in reality it is our decades-long, underbuilt system of behavioral health, substance use disorders, shelter and affordable housing – that are the primary drivers."

Ok, sure but if you can't expect the decades-long, underbuilt system of behavioral health to change quickly they may have to rollback/repeal measure 110.

I'm glad measure 110 allowed them to build a 16 bed detox center, but it seems like building those is also a "decades-long" process (?). A quote in the article indicates that one person "drove 250 miles from Eastern Oregon to Recovery Works because it's where she was able to get a bed". I am happy that she was able to get treatment but this also seams to indicate that the treatment options are underbuilt.

The other major problem is getting people to make the decision to voluntarily use them. I don't know how they solve that...

As far as overdose and addiction rates Portland isn't actually doing any worse than other major west coast cities, and is actually better than Seattle. Fent and meth are a scourge whether we toss users in jail over it (where they still have access if they have $, btw) or not. The biggest problem directly caused by measure 110 for the city and residents imo is that people are using openly in public spaces with impunity, as well as being extremely intoxicated in public without repercussions.

We have been dealing with this more or less effectively with alcohol for ages.. you are allowed to use it but you can't be openly drinking in public and if you are disruptively intoxicated in public this is also a crime. Why should it be any different with decriminalized hard drugs? Obviously addressing the root of addiction problems is a critical step, but in the mean time there is no reason to give up on having safe and pleasant community spaces just because the criminal justice system can no longer victimize small time drug users for simple possession.

Ibogaine is not a silver bullet but can help a lot here.

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