Facebook CEO & Wife Back Radical Drug Decriminalization Initiative

On October 1st, 2020, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, founded by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan, donated $500,000 to Measure 110 in Oregon.

Also known as the Drug Decriminalization And Addiction Treatment Initiative, Measure 110 has been officially added to the ballot in Oregon as an “initiated state statute.” Voters will have a chance to make history in the upcoming election on November 3rd by passing this bill.

This marks the first time the Chan Zuckerberg initiative has gotten involved in local politics in Oregon, action that has advocates and patients across the street breathing a little easier today. While there is opposition to the measure, donations now total in excess of $1.4 Million making it very well funded and much harder to defeat. The advocates have done their part, now it is up to the voters to make it a reality.

What Is Measure 110?

According to Ballotpedia, this measure would change the law concerning possession of most controlled substances in personal amounts. However It would have no impact on anyone caught selling drugs or in possession of an amount over the allowed maximum.

Under the proposed bill, possession of drugs that are listed in schedules I-IV would be no longer be a Class A misdemeanor* and would now be considered a Class E Violation**.

Drugs that would be impacted by this change in law include marijuana, cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine, just to name a few.

The passing of this measure would represent a monumental change in the approach to drug interdiction in the state of Oregon. By shifting the focus towards counseling and addressing both addiction and mental health issues in offenders instead of just throwing them in jail, the proponents of this bill hope to improve the lives of many sick and addicted people that currently sit in jail and remain sick.

Multiple studies have shown that addressing these problems while incarcerated, criminals are less likely to reoffend and end up back in trouble.

Local officials in Oregon estimate that this change in law would decrease convictions for possession of a controlled substance by more than 90%! Not only would many lives be saved but it would thin out the jails and save the state a lot of money on trials and court related costs.

*a Class A misdemeanor is punishable by up to one year in jail and a $1000 fine.

**a Class E violation is punishable by a $100 fine or a completed health assessment. Health assessments would be conducted by one of many licensed addiction treatment centers. Part of the assessment includes meeting with a certified alcohol and drug counselor as well as a taking a drug screening urinalysis. Also, it must be completed within 45 days of the violated to be considered legally valid.

Drug Treatment and Recovery Services Fund

Included with the change in possession laws is the founding of a drug treatment and recovery services fund that will pay for the services rendered during the health assessments.

Using money generated by the tax on cannabis as well as money saved by the state not having to prosecute minor drug cases, the measure calls for $11.25 Million dollars to be given to this fund every quarter.

This money will be used to build and totally fund the operation of all the addiction treatment centers mentioned in the bill. According to Measure 110, grants will be given to build specific treatment centers, which in addition to being full service will have to be open for business 24 hours a day.

Mark Zuckerberg

Mark Zuckerberg, one of the richest men in the world, has a net worth of more than $97 Billion as of the end of business, Thursday, October 1st, 2020.

Having founded social media giant Facebook back in 2004 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Zuckerberg is now considered one of the most powerful people in the world and has collected more data on the human population than anyone or any business in history.

In December of 2015, together with his wife Priscilla Chan, the couple pledged to donate 99% of their wealth to advance numerous causes across the globe. Under the direction of the Chan Zuckerberg initiative, the couple hopes to “cure, prevent, or manage all diseases before the year 2100.”

Priscilla Chan

Priscilla Chan is an American Pediatrician and avid philanthropist. Born in Braintree, Massachusetts, Chan was accepted to Harvard University in 2003 and graduated in 2007 with a Bachelor of Arts in biology. After graduating from Harvard, Chan went on to earn her medical degree from the University of California, San Francisco.

While attending classed at Harvard, Chan met Zuckerberg. The couple ended up getting married the day after Facebook went public in 2012.