Less than three months before Oregon recriminalizes drug possession, a handful of Portland-area leaders are drafting a plan in closed-door meetings that critics say would largely maintain the status quo in the nation's most populous county. state.
“I think most people assumed that this would actually lead to people having access to treatment as an alternative to arrest, but if they didn't want treatment, they would be arrested,” Multnomah County Commissioner Julia Brim said. -Edwards told KOIN 6 News.
Instead, the proposal, which has not yet been shared publicly, includes “an endless revolving door” and little direct access to treatment, Brim-Edwards said.
A man smokes methamphetamine on the sidewalk in Portland, Oregon, on Jan. 10, 2024. The city has battled open-air drug use and trafficking in the wake of Measure 110, which decriminalized drug possession. (Hannah Ray Lambert/Fox News Digital)
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Oregonians voted to decriminalize possession of all drugs in 2020 and redirected tens of millions of marijuana tax revenue to fund addiction services. People caught with quantities of substances like methamphetamine and fentanyl could only receive a $100 fine, which could be waived if they called the treatment hotline listed on the back. The data showed that the vast majority of people fined did not call the hotline or pay the fine.
Outdoor drug use and overdose deaths soon skyrocketed (although researchers maintain there is no clear connection between decriminalization and overdoses) and numerous polls showed that Oregon voters regretted the move and wanted them reinstated. criminal sanctions.
Faced with the overwhelming reaction, legislators approved House Bill 4002 in March, creating a new misdemeanor charge for drug possession and giving those caught with small amounts of substances like methamphetamine and fentanyl a choice: undergo treatment or go to jail for up to six months.
Lawmakers voted to criminalize drug possession earlier this year, following a dramatic shift in voter attitudes. Numerous polls showed that Oregonians supported re-criminalizing hard drugs and making treatment mandatory, not voluntary, to avoid jail time. (Ramiro Vargas/Fox News Digital)
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But the bill leaves local governments to decide how to implement the law before it goes into effect on September 1.
In Multnomah County, where Portland is located, County President Jessica Vega Pederson is leading that effort, The Oregonian reported.
People caught with drugs would only have to register at a delivery center to avoid arrest under the proposal. Under the document, they would not be required to go through a screening or treatment program, and there would be no limit on how often someone could choose diversion instead of arrest.
“The reality is that we know that people are more likely to go into recovery the more often they are presented with the recovery system and that jail is not the right way to treat people,” said policy advisor Alicia Temple. of the president. paper.
Pederson is working on the plan with local leaders, including progressive Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt, who recently lost his re-election bid to a more moderate challenger. According to local reports, Portland's police chief, the county sheriff, a judge, treatment providers, a defense attorney and a representative from Mayor Ted Wheeler's office are also involved.
A Portland police officer holds a container of suspected fentanyl he found inside a homeless man's tent. (Hannah Ray Lambert/Fox News Digital)
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At least two county commissioners criticized the proposal and said they were not informed during its development. District Attorney-elect Nathan Vasquez shared a similar sentiment, telling KGW that he has not been invited to the table and that he sees major flaws in the plan.
“It's a return to that failed formula,” Vásquez said. “And in some cases, you could even say maybe it's worse. I mean, we're looking at a situation where, you know, if it's true that they're going to do unlimited diversions, what message does that send?”
“This is nothing more than a change of direction,” Joe Bazeghi, director of engagement at a private medical and behavioral health center, told The Oregonian. “We're just going back to maybe a slightly less harmful version of what we've been doing all along.”
Portland's neighboring counties appear to have stricter enforcement plans. Clackamas and Washington County prosecutors told local media they expect people to comply with treatment requirements and plan to limit the number of times people can opt for diversion.
“It's our way as a system of saying, you know, we mean it, we really want you to get help and treatment,” Clackamas County District Attorney John Wentworth told The Oregonian.
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Multnomah County officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
