In the three years since Oregon began its failed experiment in decriminalization of hard drugs, thousands of people have died of drug overdoses while only 85 people cited for drug use actually sought help.
On Sunday, the failed experiment will come to an official end, and the data that was released by Oregon’s judicial department revealed exactly how horrific the results of Measure 110 were.
Oregon tried to decriminalize drugs and disaster ensued. This should put an end to the decriminalization movement. It won't, of course. But it should. https://t.co/NIj39nASQh
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) March 3, 2024
Ballot Measure 110 — which was approved by voters in November 2020 and took effect on February 1, 2021 — made Oregon the first state in the nation to decriminalize possession of hard drugs like heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine and LSD. Decriminalization of these drugs meant that possession was downgraded from a criminal misdemeanor to a Class E misdemeanor, meaning that offenders were only given a citation of up to $100, which is effectively the same thing as a traffic ticket and could be waived if offenders simply called a substance abuse helpline. While the radical left lawmakers behind the measure planned to use the income from the cannabis tax to fund a treatment system, hardly anyone called the helpline to get treatment or even paid the fine — with data showing that only 85 people even bothered to call.
After the decriminalization resulted in skyrocketing overdose deaths and widespread open-air drug use, state lawmakers decided to recriminalize drug possession in March of this year.
#BREAKING: A man overdosed right in front of me as I was walking the streets of downtown Portland.
He was administered narcan and going in and out of consciousness. I waited until police arrived. pic.twitter.com/tegYXDTk9r
— Katie Daviscourt 📸 (@KatieDaviscourt) August 7, 2023
According to state data from February 2021-August 2024 that was published by the Oregonian, there was a total of $899,413 in fines issued under Measure 110 across all circuit courts — but only $78,143 in fines were collected.
The Post Millennial further explained: “Officers cited 7,227 people under Measure 110 statewide, and 89 percent of them were convicted. However, nearly all convictions were because people skipped their court dates. Out of the 7,227 people cited, only 85 of them completed their substance abuse screening through the helpline, which was needed in order to have the citation dropped.”
The data showed that 54% of the citations were for methamphetamine, 31% were for fentanyl and other Schedule II drugs, 7% were for heroin, 3% were for oxycodone, and just 1% were for cocaine.
Meanwhile, a staggering 3,086 people died from opioid overdoses from 2021, when the measure took effect, and 2023, which is the most current year for these statistics. While data for 2024 has not yet been released, the Oregon Health Authority has confirmed that “The number of opioid overdose visits to [emergency departments] and [urgent care centers] in 2024 are similar to 2023.”
Oregon has seen the side of decriminalization that Americans didn't see.
Lucky them!! Easy for them to judge.
The worst OD I witnessed was that young man under my apartment windows crying and begging for his momma, begging paramedics to hold his hand in pouring rain and gusty… pic.twitter.com/XqVxh5miuK— Rumble Dumbs (@SusanGriffin530) June 9, 2024
