Oregon Governor Pardons 45,000 Marijuana Offenders
The ACLU of Oregon is calling on other state governors to follow suit.
Oregon
Oregon's Newly Legal Magic Mushroom Industry Could Be Strangled by Restrictive Zoning Regulations
Local governments are considering rules that could force "psilocybin service centers" to locate near highways and go through expensive, discretionary permitting processes.
The Crime Backlash Mostly Failed To Materialize on Election Night
Apocalyptic attack ads about crime failed to drive a red wave, and criminal justice reform candidates were still successful in several local races around the country.
Driving Electric Cars Produces Little Carbon. Making the Batteries Produces a Lot.
Many politicians who want to ban gas-powered vehicles appear to misunderstand the science.
Colorado Voters Will Soon Decide Whether To Decriminalize 5 Natural Psychedelics
The ballot initiative also would authorize state-licensed "healing centers" where adults could obtain psychedelics for supervised use.
Prison Slavery Up for a Vote in 5 States
Plus: Federal court dismisses state challenge to student loan debt forgiveness, not all independent contractors want to be employees, and more...
Portland Legalized 'Missing Middle' Housing. Now It's Trying to Make It Easy to Build.
This month, the city passed a number of liberalizing reforms that legalize more types of housing and make already-legal homes more practical to build.
Study: Jersey Girls' Refusal To Pump Gas Is Costing Everyone a Lot of Money
Research on the effects of Oregon's loosening of its self-service gas ban finds that allowing adults to pump their own gas increases supply and lowers prices.
Under Oregon's Proposed Rules, Legal Psilocybin Will Be All-Natural, Organic, and GMO-Free
The state's regulators plan to start accepting applications from manufacturers and "service centers" on January 2.
With Just 10 Signatures, This Gas Station Owner Could Kill a Ban on Pumping Your Own Gas
Legislators in New Jersey and Oregon keep failing to repeal their states' bans on self-service gas stations. Is Massachusetts' small town direct democracy the solution?
Lawsuit: Crackdown on Church Soup Kitchens Violates the First Amendment
St. Timothy's Episcopal Church says that a Brookings, Oregon, law limiting its "benevolent meal service" to two days a week unconstitutionally restricts its religious mission to feed the hungry.
Are Oregonians Ready To Pump Their Own Gas?
A bill would let Oregon gas stations turn their customers loose on a limited number of self-service pumps. Some drivers fear the freedom.
You Can't Solve Homelessness by Making It a Crime
In an August ruling, Washington's Supreme Court found that a homeless plaintiff's truck qualified as his homestead.
Government Officials Hunger for More Revenue Through Food Taxes
Inflation isn't the only reason some folks may be paying more for dining and groceries.
Oregon Town Bans Church Soup Kitchens From Serving Meals More Than 2 Days a Week
Rev. Bernie Lindley of Brookings' St. Timothy's Episcopal Church says that the new rules violate his First Amendment rights, and that he won't comply with them.
An Anonymous Jokester Installed a 'Merge Simpson' Sign Near a Portland Interstate. City Killjoys Took It Down.
The Portland Bureau of Transportation said that the sign was a safety hazard and therefore had to go.
Oregon Legalizes a Breakthrough Treatment: Magic Mushrooms
Oregon will license and regulate psilocybin-assisted therapy by 2023. Some health care professionals aren't willing to wait.
Oregon Will Require People To Wear Masks Outdoors Even if They're Vaccinated
The government "strongly recommends" masking at private outdoor gatherings as well.
Psychonautical Journalist Michael Pollan Is Finally Ready To End the War on Drugs
The evolution of Pollan's thinking reflects the confusion caused by arbitrary pharmacological distinctions.
If Sha'Carri Richardson Can Get High and Still Outrun Everybody, She Should Be Allowed To Do It
Banning the American sprinter from the Olympics for using marijuana is completely ridiculous.
In an Unprecedented Heat Wave, Portland's Lingering COVID Restrictions Hurt Bars and Restaurants Again
The state, one of the last to fully reopen, lifted some capacity limits early. But the service sector was hamstrung during a heat crisis in which it could have helped.
Oregon's New Vaping Restrictions Will Drive Kids to Smoke
Officials publicly congratulate themselves for protecting teens, but they know that they’re prodding young people to switch to cigarettes.
Public University Threatens To Monitor and Punish Off-Campus Student Behavior
Doing the wrong thing at an off-campus party could lead to on-campus consequences.
Supreme Court Won't Make Ban on Non-Unanimous Jury Convictions Retroactive
Bad news for hundreds of imprisoned defendants in Louisiana and Oregon
Blue States Reopen Their Economies but Double Down on Mask Mandates
Connecticut, California, Oregon, and Colorado have all signaled that their mask mandates will outlast their pandemic restrictions on businesses.
The Dream of the '90s Died in Portland
Once an up-and-coming city, Portland was destroyed from within by radical activism and political ineptitude.
Federal Judge Orders Oregon To Offer Vaccines to Incarcerated People Immediately
"During difficult times we must remain the most vigilant to protect the constitutional rights of the powerless," the judge writes.
Oregon Weighs Race-Based Vaccine Preferences
Instead of allowing people with chronic medical conditions to get a higher place in line, a pivotal Oregon committee leans into racial justice considerations.
Oregon's Plan To Vaccinate Teachers Before the Elderly Is Terribly Misguided
If the aim is to reduce COVID-19 deaths, Oregon's plan is a failure.
The FDA Continues To Drag Its Feet on Vaccine Approval
Plus: Oregon rolls back parking minimums, regulators approve a new type of pig, Shrek finally gets the recognition it deserves, and more...
America's Disastrous Drug War Is Finally Unravelling
Voters came out for legalizing marijuana, removing criminal penalties for psychedelic use, and treating drug addiction as a public health concern.
Oregon Becomes the First State to Decriminalize Use of All Drugs
The initiative makes noncommercial possession of controlled substances a citable offense punishable by a $100 fine.
Oregon Becomes the First State to Legalize Psilocybin
The ballot initiative allows adults to use the promising psychedelic at state-licensed "psilocybin service centers."
The Portland Protest Shooter's Death Looks More and More Like Excessive Force—but Trump Keeps Bragging About It
Plus: A tale of two townhalls, Matt Welch interviews Jo Jorgensen, Bill Gates talks antitrust, Ajit Pai moves on Section 230 study, and more...
'You're Not Allowed To Film': The Fight To Control Who Reports From Portland
Both sides are getting their information through purposely bottlenecked media reports, and the results are predictably distorted and dangerous.
How Portland's Protests Drifted into 'Dangerous Territory'
"When terror is seen as justified, I think it's inevitable that something terrible is going to happen," journalist Nancy Rommelmann told Nick Gillespie last week.
Kenosha Doesn't Have To Be a Vision of America's Future
Neither does Portland. But the fact that the violence is continuous and seems to be escalating is cause for concern.
When You Say Yes to Hate: Dispatch From Portland
The situation in Portland on Day 87 is not getting better.
Oregon Ballot Initiative Would Decriminalize Low-Level Possession of All Drugs
Measure 110 would reduce felony convictions for drug possession by an estimated 95 percent.
A Quiet Night in Portland
The J.V. squad was out looking for trouble and the battle over who counts as press continues.
Left, Right, and Center Respond to Joe Biden's Veep Pick, Kamala Harris
Plus: Portland eases restrictions on density, chain stores are fleeing Manhattan, and a QAnon believer is likely headed to Congress.
He Wanted To Make Some Money for School Clothes by Selling Mexican Street Corn. The Government Says He Owes $1,415 in Permit Fees.
"I just wanted to help out my community and family," said Miguel Lozano.
Dispatch From Portland: The Morning Crew
A tarot card-reading liberal arts major, a Sudanese immigrant, and a former restaurant worker explain why they are out protesting in Rose City.
Judge Orders Federal Officers in Portland To Stop Harassing and Assaulting Journalists and Legal Observers
U.S. District Judge Michael Simon reminds the feds that they are bound by the First Amendment.
Where's Republican Federalism During Trump's Urban Invasions?
A president from a party supposedly committed to restraining the federal government is now sending enforcers to cities over local objections.