The difficult implementation of Measure 110 in Oregon has sparked intense debate over drug policy, public safety and justice among local residents, activists and political leaders in the Democratic-controlled state. A crack appeared. Tensions over Measure 110, approved by voters more than three years ago, reflect broader political questions about what role law enforcement and courts should play in the nation's drug crisis. .
“Unfortunately, in the history of drug policy, Oregon's 911 program will fall into the category of lessons learned rather than lasting innovation,” said Brown, who spent more than 20 years as a police officer. said Brandon del Pozo, a university drug policy researcher. board member.
Measure 110, supported by the reform organization Drug Policy Alliance, is an innovative public health approach and a failed drug that has disproportionately sent people of color to prison for decades. It was praised as a rejection of war. Proponents were inspired by Portugal, which decriminalized certain hard drugs in 2001 and is seen as a model for a public health-first approach to drug use.
Nearly 60% of Oregon voters approved the measure in November 2020, amid growing public calls for judicial reform following the police killing of George Floyd. Fatal drug overdoses in the United States were also on the rise.
Measure 110 abolished criminal penalties for possession of small amounts of drugs such as heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine. Instead of taking suspects to jail, police officers are currently handing users a $100 certificate, which they can earn by calling a government-funded hotline and signing up for an evaluation for treatment. Certificates are exempt. The law, which took effect in February 2021, earmarked hundreds of millions of dollars in marijuana tax revenue to strengthen services for people struggling with addiction.
But Andrew Mendenhall, an addiction doctor and CEO of the Portland social services nonprofit Central City Concern, said Oregon has had a poor relationship with behavioral health services for decades. He said there has been a lack of investment in health care providers for people who use drugs, who would have benefited from Measure 110. When the bill was passed in 2020, Oregon ranked last in the nation for providing access to substance use disorder treatment, state officials said. State auditors also expressed concerns about the Oregon Health Authority's administration of grants meant to strengthen addiction services and organizations working to reduce drug harm.
Those grants are finally starting to flow, but building the treatment workforce and infrastructure will take years, Mendenhall said. “There's a significant amount of compassion fatigue in the community where people are getting impatient, and this is going to take some time,” Mendenhall said.
Disgruntled officers have issued thousands of citations, but the hotline remains largely unused.
Keith Humphreys, a professor of psychiatry at Stanford University and a former white man, said, “Fentanyl use feels so good in the short term, even if it destroys lives, that it's an outside source eliminated by 110.'' “If there's no pressure, most people won't stop doing it.” House Drug Policy Advisor.
Illegal fentanyl has been one of the obstacles to Measure 110 from the beginning. The deadly drug, which can be up to 50 times more powerful than heroin, spread more slowly on the West Coast than on the other side of the country, said Alex H., an epidemiologist who studies drug use and policy at a nonprofit research institute.・Mr. Krall said. RTI International Institute.
“Right at the time Measure 110 started, people were starting to think they could smoke fentanyl, but fentanyl was readily available and people started overdosing,” Krall said.
There will be 1,387 drug overdose deaths in Oregon in 2022, an increase of nearly 160 percent from five years ago, according to federal data. However, one study found no evidence that Oregon's overdose death rate after Measure 110 was higher than similar states experiencing similar spikes in deaths.
The coronavirus pandemic has also strained health services and exacerbated mental illness. Housing costs have soared, and the number of homeless people on the streets has increased. Marisa Zapata, director of Portland State University's Homeless Research and Action Collaborative, said this is driving greater awareness of outdoor drug use in cities like Portland.
Many people place the blame squarely on 911 for the spike in petty crime and street drug use in Portland.
At Cheerful Tortoise, a downtown bar, owner Amy Nichols said that since the measure was passed, drug addicts have been coming in frequently, yelling at customers and using fentanyl in the bar's alcoves. It is said that tools were scattered around the premises. She installed a lock in the bathroom to prevent them from entering.
“We found four or five people unconscious. [employees] I called 911,” Nichols said in an interview. “The needles were still hanging in their arms.”
Amid growing headlines about drug use, elected leaders in some Oregon counties have passed legislation calling for the repeal of Measure 110. A coalition of political and business leaders has filed an effort to allow voters to “amend and improve” Measure 110, but the effort is a sign that public opinion shows Oregonians no longer support decriminalization. Backed by research. In January, alarmed by the fentanyl crisis, local and state leaders declared a 90-day state of emergency in downtown Portland.
Under the bill passed by the House on Thursday, drug possession would be a misdemeanor, punishable by up to 180 days in jail or 18 months of probation. It also “encourages” police officers and district attorneys to refer defendants to state-funded “deflection” programs that allow them to receive treatment instead of arrest or conviction. A judge cannot order fines or fees as part of a sentence. The state also provides grants for medication-assisted opioid addiction treatment in prisons, among other provisions aimed at addressing addiction.
Rep. Jason Kropp (D), who introduced the bill, said the bill “reimagines” misdemeanor drug charges. “We're telling law enforcement that we need to strengthen our partnerships with the treatment community and the behavioral health community,” he said in an interview.
Officials estimate that the law would ultimately add approximately 2,257 misdemeanor drug possession convictions per year to Oregon's judicial system, with a disproportionate share of black and Hispanic defendants. are doing.
Groups including the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon, the Urban League of Portland and the Health Justice Restoration Alliance met this week to accuse state Democrats of pushing the bill for political gain.
Emily Kaltenbach, senior director of state advocacy for the Drug Policy Alliance, said in an interview that “it's better for legislators to blame, stigmatize, and have people disappear into prison than to solve the problems they created.” It's easy.''
Hundreds of written testimonies were submitted for and against the bill. ahead of Monday's House committee hearing.At the public hearing that lasted more than Four hours later, critics blasted the return to preemptive arrest, saying it would burden courts already reeling from a shortage of publicly funded defense attorneys. Meri Rose, a former prisoner who spent time behind bars, told lawmakers that conditions in Oregon's prisons are harsh and many people use drugs to cope with personal trauma. told.
“Adding to their traumatic histories with sentences of up to 180 days for drug possession is detrimental to what we are trying to achieve,” he said. said Rose, director of operations for the for-profit Iron Tribe Network. A suburb of Portland.
The bill drew many supporters at the hearing, including families who lost relatives to fatal overdoses. Business owners, law enforcement officials and district attorneys said the bill still prioritizes treatment, but the threat of prison sentences is significant.
Hank Crapser, a drug counselor who works for the Marion County Sheriff's Office, told deputies that children are no longer able to access bus shelters because patrons are occupying them to openly smoke fentanyl. He said he saw him there. Krapser, a former drug user who spent 16 years in prison, said many people suffering from addiction would not seek treatment without criminal justice intervention.
“What's missing is accountability. It's a nudge from the judge,” Krapser testified.
