Oregon has recently become the first State to decriminalize the possession of all hard drugs. The intent of this law is to make those who are addicted to any drug be more comfortable coming forward about their problem. When one is found in possession of a drug like heroin, they will be put into rehab instead of jail. "aimed at diverting people from jails and prisons by treating possession as a citation and expanding access to treatment and recovery." Oregon voters also approved a measure making it the first state to legalize the therapeutic use of psychedelic mushrooms. "About 3,700 fewer Oregonians per year will be convicted of felony or misdemeanor possession of controlled substances now that the measure has passed, according to estimates by the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission." In my opinion I can see this being a great move for Oregon or a terrible one. Either more people will begin partaking in the use of these harmful drugs because they know they cant go to jail for it or people will finally come forward and the drug problem will slowly come to a halt. What do you think? Could this effect the economy if this took place all across the United States?
https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-elections-oregon-01edca37c776c9ea8bfd4afdd7a7a33e
I think this will be big for Oregon socially and economically. Ideally, if people seek out treatment more openly than in the past, it is likely that their money being spent in black markets will enter into the legal markets. Additionally, drug addiction also impacts the people surrounding the addict. It's easier to send a family member or friend to rehab or therapy than to see them go to jail or prison. If the people closest to the addict can focus on their own jobs, families, etc. rather than taking care of an addicted family member or friend. This could lead to more productive individuals, etc.
ReplyDeleteI think that if there is regulation of these drugs, it opens a new market in the economy. If the sale of drugs becomes taxed, millions of dollars will go to the government. This definitely has the possibility of boosting the economy drastically
ReplyDeleteeconomically speaking it will definitely provide a boost to the economy by providing a new market that is already well established but can now be taxed giving the government a new stream of revenue
ReplyDeleteThe decriminalization of these substances will lessen the tax burden of the state as a whole since it is very expensive to have people in prison. There will still be a cost for rehab, but it will be less than prison. These tax dollars saved can go to more beneficial programs, like infrastructure, which will help raise the TFP. Also, decriminalizing these substances will make it so that these people do not have a felony on their record, which will increase their chances of getting a higher paying job.
ReplyDeleteI'm really undecided whether this is a good or bad thing. On one hand it has the potential to bring in government revenue, but on the other hand it could create an even bigger drug problem. It will be interesting to see how this plays out and if other states will follow.
ReplyDelete