A new study shows that overdoses in the Pacific Northwest have increased despite decriminalization laws, not because of them.

“There’s always the hope that states function as laboratories of democracy, and when one state does something that makes sense and seems to work, that other states will adopt it,” says Davis. “Arrests went way down, overdoses didn’t change: To me, that’s an improvement over the previously existing system.”

  • Flying Squid
    22•1 year ago

    Shockeroo. Furthermore, controlling the drug trade means a lot less deaths from toxic impurities.

    • @meco03211@lemmy.world
      14•1 year ago

      Also less deaths from attempting to avoid legal repercussions. Occasionally you’ll hear the horror story of friends dumping the comatose body of a friend that’s OD’ed at a hospital and trying to flee to avoid getting caught.

    • @RadButNotAChad@lemmy.world
      12•1 year ago

      For real. In my much younger days and I was out and someone offered me a bump, id do it. Worst case, you snort a little baking soda. These days I’d be so afraid I wouldn’t fuck around.

      • Flying Squid
        10•1 year ago

        People are buying cocaine laced with fentanyl and dying. Crazy shit.

        • JessicaEnglish
          8•1 year ago

          What’s more, the people who are addicted to drugs take that risk knowing that the first bump or line from a new bag could kill them.

          When it became known that fent laced coke was in my area, I still bought a gram or more each day. Addiction is terrible. I still stumble here and there, but am a completely different person now (thankfully).