"Portland Café Owner Warns of Drug Crisis After Oregon Reverses Decriminalization Law"

A Portland café owner warns that the city is ill-equipped to help drug addicts following the reversal of Oregon's 2020 drug decriminalization law, which led to a surge in addiction and overdose deaths. The new law makes personal drug possession a misdemeanor punishable by jail time, but the owner doubts its effectiveness. She criticizes the lack of assistance from city officials and highlights the struggles of law enforcement in addressing the issue. The previous law directed cannabis tax revenue towards addiction services, but state auditors found challenges in setting up the new treatment system. Democratic leaders have declared a state of emergency for downtown Portland due to the public health and safety crisis.