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Democratic Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek signed a bill Monday re-criminalizing the possession of small amounts of hard drugs as the blue state continues to suffer from a rising overdose and addiction crisis.
Kotek received the legislation on her desk early March after Senate lawmakers passed the bill by a 21 to 8 vote, ultimately reversing a voter-approved portion of an initiative that decriminalized hard drugs. The new law comes with changes to the criminal consequences for small amounts of possession of heroin or methamphetamine which will now be considered a misdemeanor with a punishment of up to six months in jail.
The legislation will also be establishing “task forces” focusing on behavioral health, a behavioral health “workforce program,” as well as reducing “barriers to consumer access to substance use disorder treatment,” a letter signed by Kotek stated.