Oregon became the first state to decriminalize small amounts of all illegal drugs Tuesday.
Ballot Measure 110 passed with about 59% of the vote. It removes criminal penalties, including prison time, for possessing small amounts of controlled substances. People caught with drugs will have the option of either paying a $100 fine or getting a “completed health assessment” at an addiction recovery center.
The law also establishes a new statewide drug-treatment system funded in part by tax revenue from marijuana sales.
Another ballot measure in Oregon legalized the use of psilocybin, the active ingredient in hallucinogenic mushrooms, as a therapy for mental health treatment. Voters in the District of Columbia approved a similar measure Tuesday with about 76% of the vote, according to the Associated Press.
Supporters of Measure 110 lauded the win as a step toward reversing drug policies that have disproportionately affected minority groups.
“Today voters in Oregon will decide the fate of a historic ballot initiative that would decriminalize possession of smaller amounts of all illegal drugs …providing an early model for combating deep racial disparities in the criminal legal system,” advocacy group Yes on 110 said Tuesday.
Voters passed a flurry of ballot measures loosening restrictions on marijuana use and possession Tuesday in five states. Marijuana is still federally illegal, as are all of the drugs that are now decriminalized in Oregon.
