Jim Carlton:

On Friday, the Oregon Senate voted to make possession of small amounts of hard drugs a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail. The bill, which was the result of months of discussions by lawmakers in both parties, passed the state House on Thursday.

Grayber, who is also a Democratic member of the state House, used her experience on the streets to explain why she voted yes.

“I’ve worked so many overdoses,” Grayber said in a speech to her fellow legislators before the bill passed the state House. “I came into this building two weeks ago knowing that we had to do something, because the status quo of what we are doing is not working.”

Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek has previously said she is open to restoring criminal penalties for drug possession. Her office didn’t respond to a request for comment on the bill.

Backers of the 2020 ballot measure, which passed with 58% support, successfully convinced their fellow residents of the left-learning state that decriminalization would mean fewer nonviolent drug addicts in prison and more in treatment.