Opponents say the move is a reaction to visible homelessness and fearmongering “law and order” narratives in the media.A syringe drop box stands on the street as a Portland Police officer conducts an investigation into drug dealing and issues a citation for drug possession during a patrol in downtown Portland, Oregon, on January 25, 2024.
The legislation effectively repeals the core of Measure 110, the 2020 ballot measure that made Oregon the first state to decriminalize drugs. Currently, police can stop people for drug possession and issue a ticket with a $100 fine that can be waived in return for getting a health assessment with connections to treatment services.
Hundreds of people submitted passionate testimony for and against the bill. While both sides say they are committed to tackling the overdose crisis,Morgan Godvin, a drug policy advocate in Portland who was incarcerated while living with heroin addiction before Oregon’s decriminalization, said on Thursday
“When you give police and prosecutors this much discretion … people with money and connections and racial privilege will get into the treatment spaces, and Black, Brown and low-income people will continue to be incarcerated at the highest rates,” Chung said.— say public drug use is out of control and law enforcement needs more “tools” intervene, namely by confronting drug users with police and forcing them to choose between mandatory treatment and jail time.
Instead, Chung said the houseless and racial minorities will once again be disproportionately targeted by police and, in many cases, cycle in and out of jail without receiving treatment. People struggling with homelessness and addiction may miss court dates and be sentenced to jail time. If a defendant enters treatment but is unable to recover on a court ordered timeline, they could also be jailed and punished by any police officer who find them with drugs.