The U.S. is mired in a years-long nightmare of record drug use and overdose deaths – killing well over 100,000 people a year and costing taxpayers in terms of crime, law enforcement, homelessness and prison. Just a couple of years ago, the state of Oregon tried to address its own crisis with a controversial law called Measure 110. It decriminalized the use of hard drugs – including LSD, heroin and fentanyl.
What could go wrong?
After a disastrous three years, the Democrat-controlled legislature not only rescinded the law, but voters also booted a “soft on crime” prosecutor in Portland: Mike Schmidt.
Schmidt, the once-popular District Attorney in Multnomah County – where Portland’s the county seat – was among dozens of prosecutors across the U.S. accused of being “soft on crime” and originally elected with money from liberal billionaire George Soros.
After Portland’s liberal voters gave Schmidt the boot, the conservative-leaning Nathan Vasquez became the new DA in town. He promised to go back to treating crimes like crimes. I recently spoke with him during his first week on the job.
Vasquez told me that Portland, like many cities, has experienced a “dramatic spike” in crime in the past couple of years.
