Decriminalizing drugs doesn't increase overdoses

Plus more health news | Email not displaying correctly? [View it in your browser.]( [Health Matters]( [Decriminalizing drug possession doesn't lead to more fatal overdoses]( By Haley Weiss Health Reporter Depending on who you ask, Oregon and Washington have been either reckless or trailblazing. In 2021, both states decriminalized possession of all drugs, a highly experimental move amid a growing opioid crisis in the Pacific Northwest. Measuring the success of these bills isn’t so straightforward, because there’s no one clear metric that captures the dangers of drugs. Residents of both states, particularly in major cities like Seattle and Portland, have noticed dramatic increases in visible drug activity since the bills took effect, the challenges of which have been well documented in local and national outlets. Washington’s decriminalization measure has since been rolled back. A pair of new studies, however, suggest that by other metrics, these measures may not have been responsible for harm in their first year. According to an analysis by a team at NYU, neither bill caused any change in the already-increasing numbers of fatal overdoses in each state, and, promisingly, the decrease in arrests for drug possession led to no increase in arrests for violent crimes. Perhaps, advocates suggest, Oregon’s experiment just needs more time to breathe. [READ MORE]( Share This Story What Else to Read [For Hospitals, ‘Nonprofit’ Doesn’t Mean ‘Charitable’]( By Colleen M. Grogan / Made by History Medical debt has always been part of their history. [Read More »]( [Why Don’t More Women Propose?]( By Belinda Luscombe Plenty of things about the process of getting married have remained stubbornly unchanged. [Read More »]( [Why Is Everyone Working on Their Inner Child?]( By Angela Haupt The theory goes that we all have an inner child: a metaphorical part of ourselves frozen in childhood. Sometimes, it needs healing. [Read More »]( [Magnesium Supplements Are a Buzzy New Sleep and Anxiety Aid. Do They Work?]( By Haley Weiss But do they work? [Read More »]( [How Podcaster Andrew Huberman Got America to Care About Science]( By Jamie Ducharme His long-form science podcast consistently sits near the top of the charts. [Read More »]( AN EXPERT VOICE "COVID may not be as serious as it was in 2020. But people being aware that they can help stop the spread of infectious disease is still useful and important." —Alyssa Bilinski, assistant professor of health policy at the Brown University School of Public Health If you were forwarded this and want to sign up to receive it daily, [click here](. Today's newsletter was written by Haley Weiss and Jamie Ducharme, and edited by Angela Haupt. [Want more from TIME? Sign up for our other newsletters.]( [Subscribe to TIME]( TIME may receive compensation for some links to products and services in this email. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Connect with TIME via [Facebook]( | [Twitter]( | [Newsletters]( [UNSUBSCRIBE]( [PRIVACY POLICY]( [YOUR CALIFORNIA PRIVACY RIGHTS]( TIME Customer Service, P.O. Box 37508, Boone, IA 50037-0508 Questions? Contact health@time.com Copyright © 2023 TIME USA, LLC. All rights reserved.