Harm Reduction

Oregon has led the way and we should follow. It's time for California to stop supporting the racist war on drugs and decriminalize all illicit substances. We need a Harm Reduction model that actually helps people. Our current system endangers lives. It drastically increases the amount of law enforcement interactions people have and thus the chances of being murdered by the cops. We create a revolving door in our prison system that helps nobody, solves nothing, causes a great deal of harm, and is extremely expensive. It makes drug usage less safe and more likely to result in overdose. Making drugs illegal tends to drive the market to make them stronger and more dangerous. It makes it harder to get treatment and it makes it impossible to use responsibly. Programs that save lives are forced to operate at the edge of legality and many extremely effective programs are rendered illegal. End the racist war on drugs in California and save the lives of the people you represent.