Recriminalization History

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.

Just over three years since Oregon voters passed Ballot Measure 110, elected officials want to repeal key elements, blaming the law for open drug use and soaring overdoses. But it’s their own hands-off approach that isn’t working, advocates say.

Under Ballot Measure 110, instead of arresting drug users, police give them a citation and point them towards treatment. Over three years in, there's a debate about whether it's succeeded or failed.

State legislators will spend much of the next month debating whether to scrap Measure 110, Oregon's voter-approved effort at drug decriminalization. Their decision will directly impact the first responders who deal with drug addiction on the streets of Portland. But has decriminalization caused the spike in overdoses and public use, or has it simply made the crisis impossible to ignore?

Effort underway to recriminalize drugs again, supporters include Oregon's richest businessmen

Fueled by fentanyl, the number of overdose deaths in Oregon has soared since 2019. And while the surge in overdoses is part of a national problem, the state’s underfunded treatment system is struggling to provide local solutions.