The first steps to undo the damage caused by Measure 110 began this week as HB 4002 is now being enforced throughout Oregon. This poses new challenges for police and drug treatment providers as enforcement returns and drug deflection programs get launched.
State Rep. Ed Diehl posted his thoughts on X:
Congratulations, Oregon. We did it! Hard drugs have officially been recriminalized.
The good news is that many Oregon counties will soon start to see improvements in parks, streets, communities, and many lives will be saved.
But as Leader Jeff Helfrich states in the Fox News interview, this is just the first step of many that needs to happen, and there is more to be done. Between the Democrats receiving funds from East Coast organizations like the Drug Policy Alliance, who use Oregon as a Petri dish for failed experiments, and the Measure 110 Oversight and Accountability Council, who still believe in decriminalization and want nothing more than to see drug recriminalization fail, we still have an uphill battle.
Vote for balance in the legislature so we can continue to make improvements throughout Oregon, especially in Multnomah County.
Sadly, Portland has become synonymous with drug abuse and homeless people. How is the recriminalization process starting out in Multnomah County? Here’s a report from KGW’s Blair Best:
Oregon’s drug recriminalization law exposes gaps in overrun system
Inside the Multnomah County Justice Center on Tuesday afternoon, Portland got its first look at the consequences of Oregon’s new law recriminalizing drug possession. That law went into effect Sunday — since then, Portland police have sent six people to jail.
Three of those arrested were due in court on Tuesday. Few faced drug possession charges alone, with some also charged with felonies, including for drug dealing. That’s part of the reason they were behind bars, because those other charges made them ineligible for deflection — the option of treatment over jail.
Out of the three cases Tuesday, one man was released, and his case was dismissed due to a lack of public defenders available to represent him. That man, who has a history of failure to appear, is due back in court in 12 weeks. In the second case, the district attorney’s office decided not to prosecute, electing to close the case. KGW is still waiting on a response from the district attorney’s office as to why. In the third case, the judge set bail at $75,000. That man in the third case also faced multiple drug dealing charges.
“Addiction is really a public health concern,” said Sergeant Jerry Cioeta with the Portland Police Bureau. That’s why those caught solely for possession — unlike some of the people in court Tuesday — get the option of treatment over jail.
“In the last three days, out of 10 people, four people have gone to deflection — so that’s 40% percent,” Cioeta added.
A KGW crew watched the deflection process unfold on the corner of Northwest Everett Street and 3rd Avenue in Old Town on Tuesday morning.
“They saw me put a foil in my pocket, but I wasn’t smoking nothing,” Wade said. He’s been homeless for most his life and is addicted to fentanyl.
When officers saw him with foil, that was enough for them to stop him for possession. But he qualified for the option of deflection. “I don’t know if I want to do it or not … because I want to be out here with my family,” Wade told KGW.
Officers waited with Wade for about 10 minutes for outreach workers from 4D Recovery to show up. Once they got there, the officers left, and the outreach workers took over gathering basic information from Wade. They also spent about 20 minutes calling different detox and treatment centers, but there were no immediate openings.
“So, we gave him the proper documentation to either get ahold of us again, because he doesn’t have a phone, and we told him to show up at Hooper Detox tomorrow and every day this week until he gets in,” said Elly Staas, who works with 4D Recovery.
In the meantime, Wade is left on the streets. KGW watched as he and the team of outreach workers fist-bumped and walked in opposite directions.
“We told him the consequences of not following up. He’s got the piece of paper that says he’s done the first part of the deflection process, so the next part’s really up to him,” Staas said.
Portland Police Prepares for Drug Possession Being Illegal Again
Here is KGW’s report on how the Portland Police is working through these changes. The police is now arresting people for activities which have not been arrestable crimes for 3 years. There will be challenges and likely resistance to arrests. They will review police body cams to improve police procedures.
The challenges faced by Portland police will be faced by police departments across the state. We need to ‘Back the Blue’ as police push back against drug abusers. Let’s hope that citizens get their parks and sidewalks back and drug addicts get treatment to get past their addictions and back into real life.