Tag Archives: decriminalize

Portland lawmakers push to decriminalize homeless camps; Residents tired of tents on their lawns, drug deals on every corner

Portland Homeless

Mathew 24:12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.

Important Takeaways:

  • Broken Portland: New images of city’s homeless show encampments taking over – as fed-up residents wake up to tents on their lawns, drug dealers on every corner – and woke lawmakers pushing to DECRIMINALIZE the camps
  • Shocking new images show Portland’s mounting homeless crisis as encampments take over streets and sidewalks – and fed-up residents want the city to take action.
  • Local authorities in Oregon are also considering calling in the National Guard to help with Portland’s homeless issue – while residents reveal they now no longer walk in certain areas because of the drug and encampment problem.
  • This follows news that Democrat lawmakers in Oregon want to decriminalize homeless camps with a law that would allow the people who live in them to sue for $1,000 if they’re harassed or told to leave.
  • Portland also made headlines recently after numbers that showed in 2022 there were more than 5,000 homeless people throughout the city.
  • Residents of one Portland neighborhood say they are fed up with the growing homeless crisis after their area was cleared just to see encampments pop back up hours later.

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Oregon Democrats pushing to Decriminalize homeless encampments; Residents tired of lawlessness

Mathew 24:12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.

Important Takeaways:

  • Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse… Now Oregon looks to DECRIMINALIZE encampments and let homeless SUE for $1,000 if they’re harassed or told to leave: Furious Portland residents say they’re being terrorized in their own neighborhoods
  • Democrat lawmakers in Oregon want to decriminalize homeless camps with a law that would allow the people who live in them to sue for $1,000 if they’re harassed or told to leave.
  • The hugely-controversial bill claims ‘decriminalization of rest’ would allow city leaders to ‘redirect’ cash from law enforcement into measures that ‘address the root causes of homelessness and poverty’.
  • But the proposal has been met with thousands of complaints – and comes as some in the embattled city of Portland plan to move because of the number of homeless camps.
  • The bill, HB 3501, was sponsored by Democrat representative Farrah Chaichi and her colleague, representative Khanh Pham. It will be discussed at a hearing of the state’s House Committee On Housing and Homelessness on May 4.
  • …essentially stating they can reside in parks and on other public land indefinitely without
  • In March, DailyMail.com reported how some Portland residents think the city has become lawless and ‘post-apocalyptic’ because of rising rates of homelessness and drug abuse.
  • Earlier this month, Walmart announced that they were leaving the city.

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Australia moves to decriminalize small amounts of illicit drugs

Important Takeaways:

  • ACT government agrees to decriminalize small amounts of illicit drugs, such as ice, heroin and cocaine
  • Users of small amounts of illegal drugs would be fined rather than charged under the proposed law
  • Police would continue to target dealers and try to end the supply of harmful drugs
  • The ACT also legalized the personal use of cannabis in 2019
  • The legislation will cover most common illicit substances, including LSD (acid), MDMA (ecstacy) and psyilocybin  (magic mushrooms).
  • The ACT was also the first — and remains the only — state or territory to legalize the personal use of cannabis, another of Mr. Pettersson’s bills.
  • Drug use a ‘health issue’, not a criminal matter

Read the original article by clicking here.

Decriminalization of polygamy in Utah clears key hurdle in state legislature

By Jennifer Dobner

SALT LAKE CITY (Reuters) – Legislation to effectively decriminalize polygamy among consenting adults in Utah overwhelmingly passed the state House of Representatives in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, moving it a step closer to becoming law.

The measure reduces the criminal penalty for plural marriage from a felony to an infraction on par with a traffic ticket. It cleared the House on a vote of 70-3.

The bill, which originated in the Senate, now goes back to that body for a final vote to approve a technical amendment made in the House. Both chambers are controlled by a Republican majority.

Final Senate passage would send the bill to Utah Governor Gary Herbert, also a Republican. He has not indicated whether he would sign the measure into law.

Under current statutes, polygamy – typically involving a man who cohabitates with and purports to marry more than one wife – is classified as a third-degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison.

If the bill becomes law, punishments for plural marriage would be limited to fines of up to $750 and community service.

However, fraudulent bigamy – in which an individual obtains licenses to marry more than one spouse without their knowledge, or seeks to wed someone underage without her consent – would remain a felony. It would also be treated as a felony if charged in connection with other crimes such as child abuse, fraud, homicide or human trafficking.

The bill’s Republican sponsor, Senator Deidre Henderson, has said her intent is not to legalize polygamy but to decriminalize it so that those from polygamous communities who are victims of crimes can come forward for help or to seek social services without fear of being prosecuted themselves.

Opponents of the bill say current law should not be changed because polygamy is inherently dangerous and harmful to women and children, particularly girls, some of whom have been forced into marriages with older men.

Polygamy is a remnant of the early teachings of the Utah-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which officially abandoned the practice in 1890 and now excommunicates members found engaged in the practice.

Fundamentalist Mormons, numbering an estimated 30,000 across the western United States, continue the practice, however, in the belief that if promises glorification in heaven.

(Reporting by Jennifer Dobner in Salt Lake City; Editing by Steve Gorman, Robert Birsel)

Pot stocks soar as U.S. House committee clears bill on federal weed legalization

Pot stocks soar as U.S. House committee clears bill on federal weed legalization
(Reuters) – Shares of marijuana companies rose on Thursday after a U.S. congressional committee passed a legislation to decriminalize cannabis, taking it a step closer to being approved by the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives.

The bill, which was passed 24 to 10 in the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, sent shares of Canopy Growth, Aurora Cannabis, Aphria Inc  and Tilray Inc  up between 8% and 15%.

“We think federal legalization would be a big positive for investor sentiment surrounding cannabis equities, which have been battered by oversupply and a steep price decline for the underlying commodity since becoming legal in Canada,” said Garrett Nelson, senior equity analyst at CFRA Research.

The approval comes two months after the House passed a bill to advance legislation that would allow banks to provide services to cannabis companies in states where it is legal.

The latest bill, which has more than 50 co-sponsors, enables states to set their own policies while allowing to expunge federal marijuana convictions and arrests.

Additionally, the bill will authorize a 5% federal sales tax on marijuana products that are manufactured in or imported into the United States.

However, analysts were skeptical about the future of the bill.

“It’s such an early step in a long process that there are no near-term implications for cannabis stocks. The Senate isn’t likely to approve it, even if the House were to do so,” said Alan Brochstein, managing partner at New Cannabis Ventures.

Shares in the sector are down more than 25% this year, according to the alternative harvest ETF <MJ.P>, which tracks cannabis-related stocks, taking a blow from a slow roll out of retail stores and oversupply in Canada, as well as uncertainties related to U.S. regulations.

Weed companies have been spending heavily to expand and strike partnerships in the United States, banking on more states legalizing cannabis for both recreational and medical use.

Currently, 11 U.S. states have legalized marijuana for recreational use, while 33 states have approved it for medical purposes.

(Reporting by Shanti S Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Sweta Singh and Sriraj Kalluvila)