Oregon voted to decriminalize possession of hard drugs. Could California be next?

Oregon could be just the beginning.

Oregonians’ vote to decriminalize possession of small amounts of drugs including heroin, methamphetamine and LSD, provides a catalyst for other states, including California, to follow, said Jeannette Zanipatin, California state director for the Drug Policy Alliance.

The Drug Policy Alliance, through its political advocacy arm Drug Policy Action, was a major funder of the campaign to pass Oregon Measure 110, the decriminalization measure.

Measure 110 re-classifies “personal, non-commercial possession of certain drugs” from a misdemeanor or felony to a violation subject to either a $100 fine or a completed health assessment by a drug treatment center, according to the ballot summary provided by the Oregon Secretary of State.

The ballot measure also dedicates state marijuana tax revenue to fund addiction recovery centers across the state.

“What we did in Oregon is not just about helping folks have access to recovery and substance abuse treatment but it’s actually about the whole person care,” Zanipatin said.

Zanipatin said that “there’s definitely synergy not only at the local level but also at the state level” when it comes to drug decriminalization in California.

In Oregon, the ballot measure passed with the support of a coalition including the American Civil Liberties Union, the Oregon Nurses Association, Human Rights Watch, NAACP Portland and Law Enforcement Action Partnership.

It was opposed by groups including the Oregon Association of Chiefs of Police and the Oregon Council on Behavioral Health, as well as individuals including former Democratic Gov. John Kitzhaber.

Drug decriminalization could have been on the ballot in California this November. There was a campaign to decriminalize psilocybin mushrooms and dismiss prior psilocybin-related arrests and convictions. That campaign failed.

However, Zanipatin said that California’s rejection of Proposition 20, which would have undone several criminal justice reforms of the last decade, is proof that “there is an appetite” for decriminalization in the state.

While her organization has yet to identify champions in the state Legislature, “I do know there are more legislators that are open to looking at decriminalization,” she said.

Zanipatin said that Drug Policy Alliance, fresh off of a major victory, is still weighing its approaches. That could include a ballot measure campaign in California, or it could include potential legislation, she said.

Such things as whether to introduce a ballot measure in the 2022 midterms or hold out for the 2024 presidential election, with a likely far greater turnout, are still being determined, she said.

The organization could also pursue decriminalization in other states, like Washington; it’s also planning to push legislation at the federal level, Zanipatin said.

“For us, it’s just a huge victory in terms of really understanding the failures of the drug war and it really chips away at dismantling all the harm that the drug war has caused,” she said.