Oregon Drug Decriminalization Yields Mixed Results

In the first year after Oregon voters approved a ballot measure in 2020 to decriminalize hard drugs, which took effect in February 2021, only 1 percent of people who received citations for possessing controlled substances asked for help via a new hotline, with some questioning whether the approach is proving too lenient as others say the new system has already had a positive impact by redirecting millions of dollars into facilities to help those with drug dependency issues, reports the Associated Press. Under Ballot Measure 110, possession of controlled substances is now a newly created Class E “violation,” instead of a felony or misdemeanor. It carries a maximum $100 fine, which can be waived if the person calls a hotline for a health assessment.

Out of roughly 2,000 citations issued by police in the year after decriminalization took effect, only 92 of the people who received them called the hotline by mid-February and only 19 requested resources for services. Almost half of those who got citations failed to show up in court. Meanwhile, state health officials have reported 473 unintentional opioid overdose deaths from January to August 2021, the vast majority of those occurring after decriminalization took effect. The count is nearly 200 deaths more than the state saw in all of 2019 even as opioid overdose visits to emergency rooms and urgent care centers also continue to rise. The Oregon Health Authority cites as possible reasons the greater presence of fentanyl, which has increased overdose deaths across the country, as well as a downturn in reporting during the pandemic in 2020.