Measure 110: Are People Really Getting the Help They Need?

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According to federal data, Oregon has the worst drug addiction rate in the United States. In November 2020, a new measure was passed by Oregon voters that was called the Oregon Drug Addiction Treatment and Recovery Act or Measure 110. This was meant to recategorize and reclassify implemented penalties and possessions of certain drugs such as methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, and others. The major change this measure brought about was any possession of a small amount drugs would no longer be a crime, but rather a misdemeanor or minor violation. 


A main component to this was that part of the penalty was having to get a health assessment through an addiction recovery center within 45 days of receiving the violation.The goal was that it would decrease the number of people addicted to drugs, because if they are caught instead of being thrown in jail, they are now given a full health assessment and an opportunity to start an addiction recovery program. However, this system proved to be a failure as drug overdoses continue to rise, and the government is slow to implement services that were promised.


The major issue seems to be that there is not enough funding going into opening these prevention centers.“Over the last 30 months, fentanyl has become a leading cause of overdose deaths, particularly among people who don’t have access to harm-reduction services,” OHA wrote in a press release according to KOIN news. In the same article KOIN states that in 2019, 610 Oregonians died from drug overdose. In 2022, two years after measure 110 was implemented the number of deaths from overdose increased by 47% with over 1,100 Oregonians dying from overdose. 


Drug addiction is not black and white, it is complex and there are many factors that contribute to it. According to an Oregon Voter Survey that was taken place in April 2023 more than 63% of voters want to bring back criminal penalties for drug possession. Since the passing of Measure 110, it seems though drug uses has increased because there is no repercussion being implemented for drug users. This is a very serious issue in our community that needs to be addressed sooner than later. Instead of finding a solution to getting addicts off the streets and into recovery, we are enabling them. The spike in drug usage has spiked drug related crimes, not only is this impacting the safety in our community, but it is contributing to the normalization of drug use in young adults, exposing them to the path of addiction. We need to come together to find a way to stop this in order to keep our city safe, and keep our kids away from the dangers of drugs. 



To read more about Measure 110 and data taken from Oregon voters follow these links:


https://sos.oregon.gov/audits/Documents/2023-03.pdf


https://www.dhmresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/DHM-Panel-Oregon_Measure110_May-2023.pdf



Written by Christina Teodosiu






Further information about Measure 110 can be found here: 


https://www.koin.com/news/oregon/twice-as-many-people-died-from-drug-overdoses-in-oregon-in-2022-than-in-2019/


https://oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2022/02/07/oregon-has-worst-drug-addiction-problem-in-the-nation-report-shows/


https://www.opb.org/article/2022/10/03/how-oregons-governor-candidates-would-handle-measure-110s-sloppy-rollout/


*Photo from OPB 


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