CORRECTION: Article headline incorrectly stated that drugs were legalized, when in reality they were just decriminalized which is different. The headline and article have been corrected to reflect this change.
It should come as no surprise to many readers to learn that blue states are in trouble. Progressive policies, passed by their Democrat governors, have led to disasters in many states.
Blue states are in some cases no longer attempting to prosecute several crimes like shoplifting. They are lacking in properly enforcing the border. And they appear to be doing nothing about the homelessness epidemic.
But one blue state has gone beyond all the others. It passed a law in 2020 that decriminalizes all drug use. Yes, all drug use. Now, the governor has been forced to declare a state of emergency.
From Daily Wire:
The Democrat governor of Oregon — the first state in the nation to decriminalize drug use in 2020— has declared a 90-day state of emergency in Portland because of the magnitude of the fentanyl problem there…Oregon passed Measure 110 in 2020. “We’ve had three years of this law that has not delivered on the promise that voters thought they were getting,” Washington County district attorney Kevin Barton stated.
According to CBS News, overdoses in the state have continued to rise since 2020.
Oregon’s governor has declared a 90-day state of emergency over the fentanyl problem. Fentanyl is a deadly synthetic drug, which can cause overdose deaths with just a small amount. A surge of overdoses from the drug has been happening, coinciding with the border crisis.
The problem has become so bad in Portland that the governor of the state appears to be scrambling to get it under control.
While some within Oregon have connected the decriminalization of drug use with the crisis, it seems Democrats are unwilling to admit that the law is behind it. According to reports, the law has failed to address the very problems it was supposed to fix, including overdoses.
Overdoses in Oregon have continued to rise since 2020, when the law was passed. States that have passed similar laws—decriminalizing marijuana use or other drugs—have not seen improvements in the areas of drug abuse, DUIs, domestic violence, or overdoses.
In fact, these states have seen more problems, as a result of decriminalizing various recreational drug use. Progressives have claimed that decriminalizing drug use would fix problems with the criminal justice system, as well as reduce drug overdoses.
Anyone with common sense would see how that reasoning was deeply flawed. And Oregon is only the first state to suffer the consequences. Other states that pass similar legislation will likely see the same thing.
Key Takeaways:
- Oregon has declared a state of emergency over a fentanyl crisis.
- The West Coast state was the first to decriminalize all drug use.
- Blue states that have decriminalized some drug use have seen major problems explode.
Source: Daily Wire