In 2020, Oregon voters passed Measure 110, a law decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of controlled substances like cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine. The measure, which passed with 58 percent of the vote, was praised as a "historic, paradigm-shifting win" that could serve as a model for the rest of the country, but it wasn't long before the decriminalization was blamed for a rise in overdose deaths. The legislation has been called a "disaster" and a "botched" job with a "troubled start."
"To judge by the catastrophe unfolding in Oregon, I'd think twice before replicating this reckless experiment elsewhere," wrote New York Times opinion writer Bret Stephens.
