Backpedaling Measure 110 Isn’t the Solution to Drug Abuse in Oregon

Reported By: Sierra Reisman

Photo From: latinpost

In 2020, Oregon voters passed Measure 110, decriminalizing drug use within the state. Now, addiction rates remain high and overdose deaths a consistent problem, and the Oregon state legislature is considering backpedaling and making drug possession once again a low-level misdemeanor. Although this may be well-intentioned, especially as fentanyl deaths continue to spike across the US, criminalizing possession has never worked in the past, and it isn’t going to start working now. 

In 1971, America began the War on Drugs. Although these efforts were marketed as a well-intentioned attempt to get dangerous drugs off the street, the War on Drugs is widely considered responsible for modern-day mass incarceration. According to Human Rights Watch, 62% of those in state prison for drug offenses are Black, and in some states, the number is as high as 90%. To contextualize this figure, only 13.6% of the US population is Black, and studies indicate that Black and White populations use drugs at very similar rates. Not only has enforcement of the War on Drugs clearly been motivated by racism, but according to a recent report from the Global Commission on Drugs, it has failed as a policy measure. The report joins an increasingly common call for drug policy prioritizing harm reduction to replace failed, outdated, and racist prohibition tactics. 

Measure 110 was overwhelmingly passed by voters, and Oregon set a precedent as the first state in the US to decriminalize possession, making it a Class E violation with a maximum $100 fine. It also allows charges to be dismissed, should the person pursue addiction recovery treatment. Measure 110 went into effect in February 2021, and three years later, Oregon Republican leaders are calling to repeal the measure and recriminalize possession. 

With the context of mass incarceration in mind, and the acknowledgment of experts that prohibition is a failed tactic, why would Oregon repeal Measure 110? It’s difficult to determine the actual impact of Measure 110 so far, as it appears to have been dropped into a perfect storm. Overdose deaths rose during the coronavirus pandemic, and they have also spiked recently due to the proliferation of fentanyl. This is a nationwide issue and not one unique to Oregon. 

The problem with Measure 110 is not that decriminalization is a failed tactic, but rather that it requires infrastructure to support it, which Oregon has previously failed to provide. The funding for Measure 110 was supposed to be diverted from cannabis taxes, but this money has not appeared. Oregon has historically underfunded drug treatment compared to its high addiction rates, and the resources addicted Oregonians need are simply not in place. 

The solution to Oregon’s addiction problem is not prohibition. Simply putting people in prison for addiction ignores the root issues of substance abuse, disproportionately harming marginalized communities. Prohibition is a failed tactic. Decriminalization, however, will only work when a comprehensive policy is developed and actually implemented to provide people with the resources they need. Measure 110 has not failed as a principle, it’s failed as a policy, and that policy can be corrected through mindful implementation.