Politics
Mark Zuckerburg Donates $500,000 To Support Decriminalization Of All Drugs In Oregon
By Ramone Tarnaski
The couple has donated $500,000 to support a measure to decriminalize all drugs in Oregon, which would also allow drug abuse treatment. Measure 110 would reduce the arrest of drug owners for misdemeanors and reduce the number of drug-related offenses by 91%. The campaign is supported by the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon (ACLU) and the Oregon Drug Policy Alliance.
Measure 110, which is on the ballot, aims to change the narrative about drug use in the state. Rather than treating drug users as criminals, the campaign's organizers believe that drug abuse should be treated as a public health issue. The war on drugs has created a culture of fear and fear of drugs and made it easy to be afraid of a drug user, "campaign manager Peter Zuckerman told Willamette Week.
The biggest obstacle is stigma, and the Facebook couple became the second-largest donor to the measure through a donation from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative for Advocacy. Since it was put on the ballot, Drug Policy Action has raised $862,000 to help raise voter awareness of the measures.
Those caught in drug possession should no longer be prosecuted under Law 110, and substances like heroin, cocaine, and more will be added to the state's list of illegal drugs, according to a press release.
The decriminalization initiative would reduce drug possession convictions as a misdemeanor to 91%, according to a press release from the Oregon Attorney General's Office. The offense would be passed to offenders who undergo drug treatment and rehabilitation programs.
The difference between arrest and possession would fall by 95% if the measure passed in November. The measure would significantly affect Asians, Native Americans, and blacks in Oregon, according to a press release from the Oregon Attorney General's Office.