Oregon will be the first state in the United States to decriminalize possession of small amounts of heroin, cocaine, LSD, and other hard drugs under a ballot measure.

Cocaine
(Photo : Unsplash)

The state of Oregon will not only cast their votes for the 2020 U.S. Presidential election this Tuesday, but voters will also decide to decriminalize possession of small amounts of drugs. This includes heroin, cocaine, LSD, and other hard drugs.

One of the most-watched initiatives in Oregon is Measure 110 that entails the decriminalization of the possession of a drug.

If this will be adapted and approved, this initiative will drastically change how the state's justice system will treat people caught possessing an amount of a drug for personal use. 

If ever that a resident in the state will be caught, they have will have the option of paying a $100 fine or to attend the free addition recovery centers instead of going to trial and be jailed.

According to a published report in Snopes, the centers would be funded by tax revenue from retail marijuana sales in the state that was the country's first to decriminalize marijuana possession.

Measure 110 is supported by the Oregon Nurses Association, the Oregon chapter of the American College of Physicians, and the Oregon Academy of Family Physicians.

The groups stated, "Punishing people for drug use and addiction is costly and hasn't worked. More drug treatment, not punishment, is a better approach."

Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt also said that arresting people with addictions is a cruel punishment because it will give them a lifelong criminal record that could ruin their life.

"Misguided drug laws have created deep disparities in the justice system," Schmidt asserted.

Jimmy Jones, executive director of Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action, explained:

"Every time that this happens, not only does that individual enter the criminal justice system but it makes it very difficult for us, on the back end, to house any of these folks because a lot of landlords won't touch people with a recent criminal history."

However, around two dozen district attorneys urged the residents in the state to oppose the initiative. They said that the measure "recklessly decriminalizes possession of the most dangerous types of drugs (and) will lead to an increase in acceptability of dangerous drugs."

If the measure will be adopted and approved, it will decriminalize people who possess one gram of heroin or methamphetamine, two grams of cocaine, 12 grams of psilocybin mushrooms, 40 doses of LSD, oxycodone or methadone, and one gram or five pills of MDMA.

Oregon could be the first state in the country to implement this initiative but there are countries in the world that already decriminalized possession of small amounts of drugs.

According to the United Nations, these countries are Portugal, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.

The U.N. Chief Executives Board for Coordination, headed by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said that the board commits to "promote alternatives to conviction and punishment in appropriate cases, including the decriminalization of drug possession for personal use," he said in a report in 2019.