People caught in possession of hard drugs will once again be at risk of state criminal penalties after the state of Oregon opted to recriminalize possession of drugs such as fentanyl, heroin and meth.

Oregon became the first state in the country to decriminalize possession of small amounts of hard drugs in response to a 2020 ballot measure, but it will now recriminalize those offenses under a new law that takes effect Sunday.

The new law, HB4002, will give those caught with small amounts of hard drugs such as fentanyl, heroin, and meth the ability to choose between a charge of possession or treatment programs that would include being mandated to complete a behavior health program to avoid fines.

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A personal-use possession will be a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail, while the law encourages, but does not mandate, counties in the state to set up treatment alternatives to divert offenders away from the criminal justice system.

According to the report, the new law will now make it easier for police to crack down on drug use in public, a problem that has become widespread in some parts of the state over the last few years. The law also introduces stiffer penalties for selling drugs in public places, such as near parks.

Offenders who choose treatment programs will have to meet strict eligibility criteria to avoid charges, Portland police chief Bob Day told the Guardian, mandating that those caught in possession have “no other charges, no warrants, no violent behavior, medically stable.”

A person holds a foil while smoking following the decriminalization of all drugs, including fentanyl and meth, in downtown Portland, Oregon, on January 25, 2024.  (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP) (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)

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If someone caught in possession of hard drugs chooses and is eligible to participate in a deflection program, officers will call their county’s deflection dispatch line and connect to a mobile behavioral health outreach team.

“If the behavioral health people cannot be there within 30 minutes, we’re going to go to jail. We’re not able to just wait around,” Day said. “There is certainly a lack of equity in that. But I would argue that it’s not necessarily common. I’m not saying it’s right.”

Nevertheless, detractors of the new law have argued that it is too complicated, noting that every county will have different resources and rules that could confuse drug users who face possible criminal penalties.

The report notes that 28 of the state’s 36 counties have so far applied for grants to fund deflection programs, with more than $20 million in grants set to be released by the state’s criminal justice commission in the next year.

Portland Police officers look on as American Medical Response (AMR) paramedics transport a patient after they were administered Narcan brand Naloxone nasal spray for a suspected fentanyl drug overdose in Portland, Oregon, on January 25, 2024. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP) (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)

“It’s going to be this very complicated system, where essentially people who use drugs won’t know their rights and what to expect, because it’s different in every single county,” Kellen Russoniello, the director of public health at the Drug Policy Alliance, told the Guardian. “Whether or not you are connected to services or you are just churned through the system will depend very heavily on where you happen to be in the state.”

Others, such as Democratic state representative Jason Kropf, a supporter of the law, expressed optimism about the new direction for the state.

“I have optimism, and I have hope,” Kropf told the Guardian. “I’m also realistic that we have a lot of work ahead of us.”

The city is also still working to earn back voters’ trust after a spiraling corruption scandal within the Department of Public Works and the Department of Building Inspection, which has led to convictions for Mohammed Nuru, former head of the Director of Public Works, and former Public Utilities Commission General Manager Harlan Kelly.

“Those who undermine our contracting processes and exploit public resources are not welcome to do business with our City and will be held accountable,” said City Attorney David Chiu. “I am proud of our attorneys and investigators who have worked diligently to root out corruption and maintain the integrity of City government”

Meanwhile, those hoping to unseat Breed in the mayoral election are laying out their own plans to combat corruption in City Hall.

“You can’t solve the problem when you are the problem, and we can’t trust the same people who built this broken, corrupt bureaucracy to turn it around,” nonprofit founder and Levi Strauss heir Daniel Lurie said in a statement. “I am the only candidate who will bring a new culture of accountability to City Hall on day one.”

Lurie wants to remove a campaign fundraising loophole where candidates are able to raise more than the $500 contribution limit through ballot measure initiatives. He also wants to raise candidate filing fees for those who have records of ethics misconduct, fully fund the Ethics Commission, require reporting for any meals costing over $500, and create an ethics enforcement dashboard to track campaign finance reports, lobbying disclosures, gifts, contracts and other areas for potential conflicts of interest.

The plan explicitly targets several of the ethics complaints that former interim mayor and supervisor Mark Farrell, who is also running for mayor, has faced in the current election cycle. He has come under scrutiny for his ties to the moderate political organizing group Together SF Action, which has raised millions of dollars through a ballot initiative to slash the number of city commissions.

Farrell faced similar accusations for campaign finance violations during his bid in 2010 for San Francisco Supervisor. The Ethics Commission fined Farrell $191,000 – the largest in the city’s history – and he later paid the city $25,000 to settle the case.

Still, Farrell has sought to portray his candidacy as a break from past City Hall scandals.

“I will bring new transparency and accountability from day one,” said Farrell, who has defended his record on the current campaign trail. “I will centralize all third party non profit contracts under the Office of the Mayor to reduce fraud and waste while bringing greater accountability.”

Supervisors running for mayor criticized Breed for the corruption that has come to light during her administration, pointing to their own efforts to weed out corruption in City Hall from within.

“​​Our current mayor’s administration is one of the most corrupt in San Francisco history,” said Supervisor Ahsha Safaí. “More of her senior officials have been convicted of corruption than in any other administration in modern times.”

The Excelsior supervisor pointed to his efforts to maintain funding for the Ethics Commission when Breed attempted to reduce it and said mandating audits of nonprofits and other city contractors will be a priority if he is elected.

The NBA’s debate over the greatest players of all time has slowly evolved into a debate over eras. Many wonder if Bill Russell could play in today’s game or if a player like Giannis Antetkounmpo could play 40 years ago. Denver Nuggets star Michael Porter Jr. believes a guy like Giannis could not only play

Porter Jr. recently joined The Ringer’s Off Guard Podcast with Austin Rivers, where the two debated about the best players in the NBA and the different eras of NBA basketball.

“It’s better now,” Porter Jr. said. “If you take some of these players and put them then… Like, if you put Giannis [Antetokounmpo] in that era, he would’ve been the best player to ever tough a basketball.”

Austin Rivers cut him off to say, “He would’ve broken Wilt’s record. He would’ve had a game with like 140. Just going downhill.”

From athleticism to skill level, basketball has continued to evolve. Players today continue to be more and more skilled, resulting an increase in debates.

“As humans, we’re supposed to evolve and get better the longer we’re doing something,” Porter Jr. added. “So the players now obviously can be more skilled than the players back then, but there’s definitely players you could’ve taken from back then and put them in today’s game and they would’ve adapted. Like if you put Michael Jordan in today’s game, I’m sure he’s shooting way more threes. He’s probably still by far the best player in the NBA.”

These debates aren’t ending anytime soon, as players from today’s game and past eras continue to go back and forth on which eras is the best.

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