Oregon’s Democratic governor signed a bill that would recriminalize drug possession after lax policies across the state led to rising overdose rates and rampant homelessness.
Governor Tina Kotek signed legislation Monday that rolls back a 2020 measure approved by voters that made possession of street drugs such as heroin, fentanyl and methamphetamine a non-criminal offense similar to a parking ticket.
When Oregon voters approved the landmark plan to decriminalize hard drugs four years ago, they thought ending prison sentences for drug users would be good for the state and potentially spread across the country.
However, overdoses soared as the state struggled to fund the upgraded treatment centers that are at the heart of the decriminalization plan, and public opinion has soured on this as public drug use has become more visible due to rising homelessness.
The state has seen a 210 percent increase in fentanyl-related deaths since the initial decriminalization law was passed and Kotek declared a state of emergency over Portland’s fentanyl crisis in January.
Drug possession is being recriminalized in Oregon after lax policies led to rising overdose rates and rampant homelessness across the state
Governor Tina Kotek signed legislation Monday that rolls back a 2020 voter-approved measure that made possession of street drugs a non-criminal offense
After decriminalization, overdoses soared as the state struggled to fund improved treatment centers and public opinion soured on the policy.
Kotek declared a state of emergency in January over Portland’s fentanyl crisis to combat the city’s debilitating fentanyl crisis
The state has seen a 210 percent increase in fentanyl-related deaths since the initial decriminalization law was passed
In 2023, 16 children were exposed to fentanyl in the state and 539 children nationwide were exposed to the deadly drug. KATU2.
According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s annual homelessness report, on one night in January 2023, Oregon had 20,142 people experiencing homelessness and 64.6 percent of them were unsheltered.
The governor met with officials from the Oregon Department of Justice, the Department of Corrections, prosecutors, police and community leaders before signing the bill.
“The success of this policy framework depends on the ability of implementing partners to commit to deep coordination at all levels,” Kotek said in a letter to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives on Monday.
The changes come into effect on September 1 and make possession for personal use a criminal offense punishable by up to six months in prison.
It also identifies ways in which treatment can be offered as an alternative to criminal sanctions, encouraging law enforcement agencies to create diversion programs that would divert people to addiction and mental health treatment instead of the criminal justice system.
The lax law passed in 2020, coupled with the pandemic, has further affected downtown Portland, turning the streets into an open-air drug market.
According to the City of Portland, overall homelessness increased 65 percent from 2015 to 2023, with the latest Point in Time Count counting 6,297 homeless people.
In March 2023, Walmart announced it would permanently close all of its Portland locations, months after CEO Doug McMillon warned of a historic rise in thefts at its stores.
Despite passing major ordinances in the past year to address drug use and homelessness, the city faces barriers to dealing with addiction and unapproved camps.
The new law comes into effect on September 1 and makes possession for personal use a criminal offense punishable by up to six months in prison
On one night in January 2023, 20,142 people were homeless in Oregon
The lax law passed in 2020, coupled with the pandemic, has further affected downtown Portland, turning the streets into an open-air drug market.
More than half of Portland voters would still consider leaving the city if they could afford to, according to a poll commissioned by Portland’s police union.
The Portland City Council unanimously approved an ordinance banning drug use in public in September, but its implementation depended on state lawmakers passing supportive measures.
Officials in Portland cut millions from police budgets in June 2020 following the Black Lives Matter protests and the growing “defund the police” movement.
After a rise in crime, homelessness and drugs in the city, Portland officials changed course and increased the city’s $230 million police budget by $5.2 million a year later.
However, according to a poll commissioned by the Portland Police Union, more than half of Portland voters would still consider leaving the city if they could afford to.
It found that almost two-thirds of people believe the city is ‘on the wrong track’ and 68 per cent say it is ‘losing what made it special’.
