"Avast ye! Thar be Democrats tryin' to act tough, yet makin' the same blunders that'll keep Portland all doped up, matey!"
2024-02-09
Avast ye scallywags! In Portland, Oregon, where they be passin' laws to legalize drugs, a 'fentanyl emergency' plan be declared. Methinks this plan be a fool's errand, doomed to Davy Jones' locker. Allow me to explain why, me hearties!
The state of Oregon legalized drugs in 2020 with the passing of Measure 110, but this decision has led to chaos and a significant increase in fatal overdoses. The crisis is particularly visible in Portland, where homelessness has skyrocketed and open-air drug use is rampant. Instead of seeking treatment as promised, drug addicts are primarily looking for clean needles, fentanyl pipes, and Naloxone. Finally, after four years, Democrat leaders are acknowledging the crisis and attempting to address it. They have declared a "fentanyl emergency" and ordered various agencies to partner in programs that push addicts into treatment while cracking down on drug sales. However, this plan comes too late and is unlikely to make a significant impact. It is more of what they have already been doing, and there are no established benchmarks for success. The state still refuses to abandon its "harm reduction" approach, which essentially enables drug users by providing them with drug paraphernalia. The Oregon Health Authority even encourages addicts to use in groups and pace themselves when consuming fentanyl. The author argues that this approach is a failure and advocates for a carrot-and-stick approach, where lawbreaking addicts are given a choice between treatment or jail. The emergency plan's unveiling has faced criticism, with some questioning why the focus is only on downtown Portland and whether the county will take the crisis seriously. The state's insistence on sticking to a failed script of harm reduction and emergency declarations undermines the fight against addiction and demonstrates a profound failure of leadership.