To Revive Portland, Officials Seek to Recriminalize Public Drug Use - eviltoast
  • averyminya@beehaw.org
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    11 months ago

    Maybe instead of criminalizing these drugs the state should put more efforts in keeping its hospitals open and not shoving the homeless around like cattle. The police here are constantly evicting camps yet there’s no social programs for these people to get them the help they clearly need. Furthermore the recriminalization of drugs will only further exploit already poor people who can’t pay the fines.

    The city of Springfield has a literal curfew and arrests the unhoused. They all migrate to Eugene and Junction City where that’s not happening yet. We have rains and below 0 nights and there are only a few housing alliances, which rightfully are drug free, which means a very small percentage of people are actually taking advantage of the one public service that is offered.

    Re-criminalizing drug use isn’t the answer, at least it is far from the only one. I do not use and am against the harder drugs mentioned, but the option should be to go into a clinic that gives you safe prescribed dosages and at the same time offers you rehabilitation services. Cull the illegal sales, encourage getting ones life together and use the drug functionally (can’t use if you can’t buy, can’t buy if you can’t work). This puts people on the path to functional addiction which with enough support and being offered rehabilitation each time you go in to buy.

    We should be following Portugal’s working example, not further pushing the prison complex. Though, what more would I expect from the sundown police state.