Portland, ORE– As the Oregon legislative session opens, Oregon lawmakers are planning on changes to a voter-passed measure that decriminalized small amounts of drugs and opened up more access to treatment.
Backers of Measure 110 say it’s a move in the wrong direction, but lawmakers set on undoing the measure say it’s time.
Oregon voters passed Measure 110 in 2020. While lawmakers have pointed to overdoses as a reason to re-criminalize certain drugs, a study from 2023 concluded fatal drug overdoses did not increase in the year after Measure 110 was introduced.
The Healthy Justice Recovery Alliance says, “The very presence of a drug arrest or charge can create barriers that last a lifetime. A criminal record for even a misdemeanor drug charge can sometimes be an automatic barrier to getting a job, accessing housing, qualifying for a credit card or student loan, and can also automatically disqualify people from getting a professional license for their trade, like trucking or barbering.”
