Portland Police central bike squad officer Joey Yoo issues a citation for drug possession in the city’s Old Town neighborhood in downtown Portland, Ore., Nov. 15, 2023. Yoo said handing out citations doesn't appear to move people from using drugs on the streets into treatment programs.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
Oregon voters passed Measure 110 in 2020, decriminalizing the possession of specific amounts of illegal drugs and directing more money to drug treatment. This new law coincided with a sharp rise in overdose deaths linked to illegal fentanyl. Now, many people are questioning the efficacy of Measure 110, and Oregon lawmakers are considering major changes to the law. OPB reporter Conrad Wilson spent time with first responders and people experiencing addiction to see the firsthand effects of the fentanyl crisis and where Measure 110 fits in. We listen to his reporting and hear his reflections on what he witnessed.
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