Oregon Lawmakers Consider Making Small-Scale Drug Possession A Misdemeanor

By Kristian Foden-Vencil (OPB)
Portland, Oregon March 3, 2017 12:15 a.m.

The House Judiciary Committee is scheduled to consider a bill Monday that would make small-scale drug possession a misdemeanor, rather than a felony, in Oregon.

THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR:
Substance abuse counselor Cody Roberts says a felony drug possession charge from his youth has stopped him from getting everything from an apartment to a job.

Substance abuse counselor Cody Roberts says a felony drug possession charge from his youth has stopped him from getting everything from an apartment to a job.

Kristian Foden-Vencil / OPB

Substance abuse counselor Cody Roberts said he started taking drugs in high school after his father fell ill. He used substances like marijuana and opioids from the medicine cabinet.

THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR:

Eventually, police arrested Roberts and he was convicted of felony possession.

Now, he’s 28 years old and said he struggles to even find an apartment.

“That one felony, a mistake I made when I was a kid," he said, "I can’t get a job that I want, even though I have the education. It’s like they still bring that felony up to me.”

A recent poll by the ACLU of Oregon found 73 percent of people favor making small-scale drug possession a misdemeanor instead of a felony.

The same poll found 64 percent of people knew someone who struggled with addiction.

But a sizable population who took the poll still said tough penalties are the best way to drive home the consequences of illegal behavior.

THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR:
THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR: