2023-04-22 13:00:00
“We’re known for our microbrews and marijuana – and now for fentanyl and homeless tents,” laments Tony Vezina, who runs 4D Recovery, an addiction treatment organization. While driving through historic downtown Portland, it shows junkies smoking fentanyl in foil.
Since Oregon has decriminalized the possession of small amounts of drugs, carrying them generally does not put you in serious trouble. Now, instead of being arrested, people found in possession of substances such as fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine or LSD, are sentenced to a ticket and fined up to $100. , but which is canceled if the person calls a hotline and agrees to undergo a health assessment.
58% of residents approved of decriminalization
In the past, Oregon was ranked among the American states with the highest rate of addiction to illicit drugs, and among the worst off in terms of access to treatment. Using the criminal justice system to treat addiction “has been an abject failure,” said Multnomah County district attorney Mike Schmidt, who, following years of prosecuting users, campaigned for decriminalization. “People with addiction need help, not legal punishment,” campaign flyers proclaimed. Residents approved decriminalization at 58%.
Overdose deaths doubled
But since the measure took effect in February 2021, help has not been easy to come by. While the pandemic has generated an increase in drug use across the country, overdose deaths have nearly doubled in Oregon between 2019 and 2021, while they only increased by 50% nationally.
“We’re known for our microbrews and marijuana – and now for fentanyl and homeless tents,” laments Tony Vezina, who runs 4D Recovery, an addiction treatment organization. While driving through historic downtown Portland, it shows junkies smoking fentanyl in foil.
Since Oregon has decriminalized the possession of small amounts of drugs, carrying them generally does not put you in serious trouble. Now, instead of being arrested, people found in possession of substances such as fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine or LSD, are sentenced to a ticket and fined up to $100. , but which is canceled if the person calls a hotline and agrees to undergo a health assessment.
58% of residents approved of decriminalization
In the past, Oregon was ranked among the American states with the highest rate of addiction to illicit drugs, and among the worst off in terms of access to treatment. Using the criminal justice system to treat addiction “has been an abject failure,” said Multnomah County district attorney Mike Schmidt, who, following years of prosecuting users, campaigned for decriminalization. “People with addiction need help, not legal punishment,” campaign flyers proclaimed. Residents approved decriminalization at 58%.
Overdose deaths doubled
But since the measure took effect in February 2021, help has not been easy to come by. While the pandemic has generated an increase in drug use across the country, overdose deaths have nearly doubled in Oregon between 2019 and 2021, while they only increased by 50% nationally. Enticing people to go into treatment with simple reports doesn’t work, stresses Keith Humphreys of Stanford University. Without pressure on consumers, he says, “there is no mechanism to get them to change their behavior.”
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Nothing really encourages addicts to detox anymore
Of the 4,000 people ticketed in the two years of the new law, less than 200 called the hotline, and less than 40 said they were interested in treatment . Marion County District Attorney Paige Clarkson said the crackdown was a way to get people to treat themselves, and that decriminalization “totally robbed us of that tool.” Proponents of the Oregon policy hope that the mentors ex-addicts can become will encourage people to voluntarily enter treatment. But the necessary financing being delayed, the treatment capacities of the State remain cruelly insufficient. Candidates sometimes wait more than three months before being admitted to a program. It would be necessary to increase by 60% the reception capacities.
Other states are considering decriminalization
Oregon is the only state to have attempted decriminalization. But its poor results should not discourage other states from trying it. Bills decriminalizing possession have been introduced in nine states, including Massachusetts, New York and Washington. In Canada, British Columbia unveiled its own decriminalization pilot project. Its staunchest supporters argue that decriminalization has already generated benefits for Oregon, estimating that 7,000 fewer people have been arrested, and that it will take some time before the other benefits are felt. However, some have already changed their minds. Mingus Mapp, Portland City Councilman, was a supporter of decriminalization. Today he is dubious, especially with regard to those who recommend patience. “You just have to look at what is happening on our sidewalks, he said, we have no more time to waste.” He regrets that Oregon dismantled an addiction system without having planned anything to replace it.
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