are going to support decriminalization, regulation and treatment rather than jail time.

In MA i had a long time coworker who seemingky had life made who died of a heroin overdose and I know two familirs who have lost children (teens) to the same.

My fear is that with no deterrent (decrimininalizing it) that Oregon will become a mecca for addicts and use will go up. We already have a large and growing population of homeless who are in many cases addicted people of all ages moving here for a number of reasons including rhe milder climate.
It is tragic and not enough is being done for them. We have little tent cities that get thrown out of one residential neighborhoods and move to the next.
There is something 600 run down motorhome/vans used by the homless on the streets of Portland.

Heroin and cocaine are very bad drugs that ruin many lives. IMO these drugs should be illegal and those caught selling them should face serious consequences. We don't need to be creating a welcoming environment for this culture.

You can go to a pharmacy and get prescription heroin and needles by registering with the government. They have a much lower rate of addiction and, compared to the US, no major crime problems associated with it.
I think that is a much better policy than saying I have the right to decide what someone else can do and support putting them in prison for long periods of time.

I recall that a few years ago some Mayor up in WA state was giving the homeless a bus ticket to Portland to "get them out" of his city.


However, i have a feeling that this is going to create problems in this situation. Heroin is bad. One use and you can become addicted and it is extremely hard to quit. IMO it should remain illegal

But when I checked to make sure England still had the prescription program for addicts I found stories of addicts who get their three legal doses a day and hold jobs and seem to function as normally as anyone else. That certainly has to be better than our system - where an addict is either going to end up in prison or have to steal $1,000 a day to support a $100 a day habit.
One of the stories had a Doctor explaining that the only major medical problem with regular heroin use (if the drug and the delivery system is clean) is constipation, which anyone who has ever been on Vicodin for a few days after surgery can attest to.