Oregon's Voter-Approved Drug Decriminalization Law Under Attack, Ballot Proposal Circulating

Two petitions are circulating in Oregon to overturn the 2020 voter-approved Measure 110 that decriminalized the simple possession of drugs.

The group behind the move, the “Coalition to Fix and Improve Ballot Measure 110, includes Oregonians such as Nike (NYSE: NKE) co-founder Bill Knight and Columbia Sportswear CEO Tim Boyle.

The proposal seeks to revert key provisions of the measure that decriminalized simple possession of all drugs including fentanyl, meth, heroin and cocaine.  

• Public use of unlawful drugs would be a misdemeanor offense.

• Penalties for substance manufacturing or delivery -broadened to include possession with the intent to transfer- would have higher penalties in cases of a repeat offender or when drug use causes death.

• Control over Measure 110 funding, coming from state cannabis tax revenue, would be transferred to the state’s alcohol and drug policy commission.

One of the notions backing the recriminalizing possession is that the incentive of being incarcerated is “powerful,” driving people to “take it seriously” and “have an incentive for getting clean.”

While Measure 110 wouldn’t be held responsible for Oregon’s homeless, behavioral health or crime problems, proponents believe it “is making things a whole lot worse.”

Over 58% of voters had voted favorably for the measure back in 2020. A recent poll showed a different panorama, with 61% of respondents feeling the measure has failed and worsened the unhoused population numbers, and 80% of them thinking heroin, meth and fentanyl use got worse recently, reported Marijuana Moment’s Ben Adlin.

Concerns Over Measure 110’s Roll-Back

Decriminalization supporters have stated the proposals would mean a comeback of the criminal drug war. 

Most noticeably, the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) denounced that “the complicated, costly, and ineffective ballot measures” are “not a solution but, instead, a false promise of change and a return to the failed war on drugs,” leading more people to death for drug overdose -consumers being as much as 27 times more likely to die of an overdose after leaving jail or prison. 

It would also increase jail crowding, overburden courts, defund treatment programs, and increase racial disparities in policing -Portland’s police rate for Black people would be 4.3 times higher than for white people.

The Health Justice Recovery Alliance (HJRA) added that while public frustration over the state’s failure to address the housing crisis and problematic drug use is understandable, still recriminalization is not the solution as it would “fail to reduce addiction, fail to reduce homelessness, fail to make out streets safer.”

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Photo by everett mcintire on Unsplash