The group wants to bring back drug possession as a crime. They have unveiled two versions for a proposed ballot initiative, which would reverse key provisions of Measure 110. This was the measure approved by voters in 2020 that decriminalized simple possessing of all drugs.
It would be a misdemeanor to possess “hard” drugs such as fentanyl and other drugs like heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine. The proposal would also create a misdemeanor crime for the use of illegal drugs in public.
Second version would increase penalties in the event of a repeat offender, or if drug use results in death. In the expanded version, possession of tableting and encapsulating equipment would be a crime. The definition of “delivery” of drugs will also include possession with intent to transfer.
The broader version also transfers control of Measure 110 funding, which is derived from the state cannabis tax revenues, to the Alcohol and Drug Policy Commission.
The “Coalition to Fix and Improve Ballot Measure 110”, which includes business and political figures on both sides, include former Republican lawmaker Max Williams; political consultant Dan Lavey; progressive strategist Paige Richardson and Washington County district attorney Kevin Barton.
Some of the wealthiest residents in the state have contributed to the cause, including Columbia Sportswear CEO Tim Boyle (300,000 dollars), Nike cofounder Phil Knight (200,000 dollars), real estate mogul Jordan Schnitzer (50,00), former Columbia Distributing Company Chair Ed Maletis (50,00), and the Goodman Family, which owns a large property in Downtown Portland (100,00).
Boyle, a resident of Portland, told The Oregonian that “even casual observers can recognize that we are far off track.” He said the incentive to recriminalize possession is strong. This means that people are taking it seriously. “They have an incentive to get clean.
Williams, a former legislator, claimed that Measure 110 wasn’t to blame for Oregon’s issues, but rather exacerbated them. He told The Oregonian that “we know that Ballot Measure 110 did not create the homelessness crisis, the behavioral-health crises or is the only reason we see spikes in crimes.” “But we’re convinced that Measure 110 makes things worse.”
At the time, more than of voters voted in favor of Measure 140. Many expressed the feeling that the drug war had failed. Recent polling by opponents revealed that 61 per cent of respondents feel the measure is a failure. A majority of respondents also believed that the law increased the number of unhoused people in the state, and almost 80 percent thought heroin, fentanyl, and methamphetamine use had gotten worse over the past few years.
Supporters of drug decriminalization, who are opposed to the new proposed ballot measures, warn the proposals will return us to a criminalized drug war. The Drug Policy Alliance called the two initiatives “not a resolution but, rather, a false promises of change.”
BREAKING NEWS: Two petitions to undo Oregon’s Measure110 have been filed. The complex, expensive, and ineffective ballot measures announced are not a real solution, but a false promise for change & the return to a failed drug war.
More:https://t.co/kE2RRACYMoDrug Policy Alliance (@DrugPolicyOrg 18 September 2023
DPA claimed that if the law is passed, more people will die from drug overdoses. They cited statistics showing that drug users are 27 times more likely to die after they leave jail or prison. DPA argued that the plan would increase jail overcrowding, overload courts, divert funds away from treatment programs, and increase racial inequalities in policing. DPA reported that black people in Portland are policing at a rate of 4.3 times more than whites.
A study published earlier in the year found that after drug busts by police, overdose deaths could increase. After a major drug bust in Indianapolis, fatal overdoses almost doubled.
These petitions would do immense damage. They would: pic.twitter.com/ozixrOI41x
Drug Policy Alliance (@DrugPolicyOrg 18 September 2023
Other groups such as the Health Justice Recovery Alliance, (HJRA), have said that they understand the frustration of the public when the state fails to deal with the housing crisis and problematic drug use. The organization, however, stressed that recriminalization was not the solution. HJRA stated in a press statement that the new proposals “would fail to reduce addiction, to reduce homelessness and to make our streets safer.”
It is disappointing that those behind these petitions did not talk to Measure 110 service providers. Shannon Jones, CEO at the Oregon Change Clinic which offers counseling, housing, and outpatient services with funds from Measure 110, said that we could have told the people behind the petitions what was needed to make Measure 110 more effective. We need to increase funding for the system and do more outreach. People need to have a roof above their heads in order to recover. If you arrest and jail people who are addicted, they’ll end up back on the streets with an increased risk of overdose and a criminal history that will make recovery even harder.
Katie Nicosia of Recovery Works NW said that the state needed more detox facilities and not fewer. Nicosia stated, “We have just opened a detox center in Portland using Measure 110 dollars. We are also opening clinics in SW Portland as well as Newberg.” “This proposal creates massive uncertainty in the system, just when we have finally received full funding and can open our doors,” Nicosia said.
We agree leaders have not done enough to address the ongoing addiction/homelessness crisis. These complicated, expensive, and ineffective, petitions, backed by former Oregon Dept. The Department of Corrections is not the answer. https://t.co/VI1MNT4NsT #orpol #orleg #Measure110 pic.twitter.com/XyPnzXkYkp
Health Justice Recovery Alliance 18 September 2023 HTML0
Larry Turner, co-founder and leader of Fresh Out Portland and the Oregon Black, Brown and Indigenous Advocacy Coalition, has tried to put this issue into perspective.
Turner stated that “drug use was a major problem in many communities for decades, and the overdose rate was skyrocketing prior to passage of Measure 110.” “Before we pass new laws that would take us back in time to when Black and Brown people were disproportionately hurt by criminalization, it is important to make Measure 110 effective without overturning and going backwards.”
The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) and the Oregon Legislature have already taken steps to amend the decriminalization laws. In June they passed a reform package that included more staff for the oversight council.
An audit conducted by the Secretary of State in January of the decriminalization measures found that OHA needs to improve its coordination and provide better support. The report concluded that it was still too early to determine whether Measure 110 programs would be able to curb the state’s drugs problems.
The reform bill passed by legislators this year includes a measure of accountability, requiring that the next audit by the secretary of state on the law’s application be completed by 2025.
Republican legislators, on the other hand, submitted several proposals in this year’s session of parliament to undo Measure 110.
Below you will find two versions that are part of the new Oregon proposal for recriminalizing drug possession:
The article New Oregon Ballot proposal Would Rollback Voters-Approved Decriminalization law first appeared on Marijuana Moment.
