I’ve served as a drug addiction and treatment expert for over 30 years, with thousands of clients at local recovery organizations and as Director of Oregon’s Addictions and Mental Health Service Division.
My experience—and the perspective of addressing drug abuse and treatment—convince me that criminalizing marijuana use has failed. It is the wrong approach for the wrong substance.
First, recreational marijuana use by responsible adults is relatively benign, and medicinal use of marijuana has benefitted many people. Like alcohol, it should be regulated and taxed, not prohibited.
Second, criminalizing marijuana is a bad use of public safety time and money. Giving marijuana users a criminal record devastates families and lives. A better approach is to tax marijuana and use the funds to provide treatment on demand for those who experience addictions and dependencies. In my experience, properly funded treatment works.
That’s why I support Measure 91.
Measure 91 can generate tax money that, by law, goes to drug treatment, abuse prevention, schools, and public safety, which are seriously underfunded in Oregon. This lack of funding is a shame—we know that treatment and prevention can be effective when they have adequate support.
The bottom line: there are two different approaches to drugs like alcohol and marijuana -criminalization, or a public health model.
Criminalization leads to stigma, unemployment, and ruined lives.
The public health approach leads to education, prevention, treatment, and a successful future.
We have seen this work in Oregon when public intoxication was decriminalized in the 1970s and detoxification and treatment were substituted for jail. When public intoxication was illegal, all we had was a public safety response. Decriminalization opened up a more successful public health response. We can have similar success by decriminalizing marijuana use and creating a regulated system.
Let’s take the better approach.
Please join me by voting Yes on 91.
(This information furnished by Richard Harris.)