Federal Bureau of Investigation - Crime in the U.S. She sought substance use disorder treatment many times, only managing to graduate once at a center that emphasized healing from past traumas. "We've got significant trouble in terms of workforce, having the right people, qualified people and enough people to provide services to folks who struggle with addiction," Richardson tells NPR.

@[~do>2pyrZK,c \c0@+{(MX';C*2D'H2=Q9X")g~$!IWhDKGhu[P+EbsIb%qG5[.p_~vIa, Marijuana-related Crime in Oregon Following Legalization of Recreational Use. That fine goes away if you agree to get a health screening through an addiction recovery hotline, an assessment that might lead to counseling or treatment. Eric Westervelt/NPR Preliminary state numbers show that opioid overdoses were up sharply in 2020, though officials say that likely has more to do with the deadly pandemic's social, emotional and financial impact than decriminalization. <><>955 0 R]/P 1198 0 R/Pg 1192 0 R/S/Link>> As a harm reductionist who administers a syringe service program at OutsideIn in downtown Portland, she is on the frontlines, and has seen the suffering caused by the drug war. Passively sitting by and waiting for someone to call a number is not sufficient, he believes.

But in November, Oregon became the first US state to try a different approach than the one that has harmed DeMacon and countless othersincluding many people who do not have SUDwhen voters passed Measure 110, decriminalizing small-scale possession of all drugs. But Marshall and others point out that Portugal took more than two years to transition carefully to a new system and replace judges, jails and lawyers with doctors, social workers and addiction specialists. Oregon first fundamentally changed drug policing in 2017, when the legislature reduced possession from a felony to a misdemeanor. Unfortunately, Oregon merely provides the support services to prolong and enable substance misuse, failing to connect users to life-saving treatment programs. <><>967 0 R]/P 1188 0 R/Pg 1177 0 R/S/Link>> He noted that drugs are not legalized, and will still be confiscated by law enforcement as evidence for whats now a Class E violation. "My roots are in trailer parks of Pocatello, Idaho. The metrics to watch over the coming years, she says, is how well Measure 110 expands access to detox and treatment services statewide. uuid:bfe04f7e-b387-11b2-0a00-70470f010000 Complicating implementation is that Oregon can't get matching federal Medicaid money, a key funding source for states, to expand treatment under Measure 110 because it's using tax revenue from the legal sale of marijuana, which the federal government still classifies as a Schedule 1 illegal drug. Almost half of those who got citations failed to show up in court. Once it was a grocery store bathroom, another time a 24-hour diner. The Oregon Legislature in 2017 had already made possession of small amounts of hard drugs here a misdemeanor, not a felony. tDn1%7 A]tR[V) Safe consumption is currently banned nationwide and drug checking is nearly absent in Oregon. 29 0 obj Maine state Rep. Anne "When you look at recidivism rates," says Schmidt, the Multnomah district attorney, "70% and 80% were getting rearrested. endobj crime dropped almost 9 percent.5 Critics argue that legalization spurs marijuana and other drug or alcohol use, increases crime, diminishes traffic safety,

Officials in Oregon should rethink their approach to drug policy and repeal Measure 110 in favor of policies that are proven to help individuals enter treatment and achieve recovery. The countrys Drug Decriminalization in Oregon: Hows fifth worst arrest disparities in the nation, Methadone Clinics Angry at Bad PR, But Not Afraid of SAMHSA. I was on probation. Now, she says, she fell in love with life. <><>992 0 R]/P 1165 0 R/Pg 1158 0 R/S/Link>> However, unlike the policy crafted in Oregon, they include accountability and ensure that users progress through an appropriate treatment plan. Mines says she changed her mind on Measure 110 when she realized it might mean a chance to end the criminalization of addiction that continues to ravage people in her community. Mines had gone far off-track because of a cocaine addiction. Mike Marshall is the co-founder and director of Oregon Recovers. Upholding values of racial justice is a defining aim of the landmark bill. hide caption.

A key selling point to Oregon voters was that decriminalization would significantly reduce or even eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in convictions and arrests. she says with a laugh. %PDF-1.7 % <> Opponents say that's especially true since there's basically no consequence if anyone now cited for possession simply ignores the ticket.

Recounts having overdosed five times, resuscitated each time by police or EMTs with.... Northeast Portland measure, is already seeing the impact `` that 's what it needs to would... Ideal circumstances are often incapable of navigating our systems into treatment, few enter.. Strong reservations about the measure encounters with the system went hand in hand with her addiction... With a substance use disorder '' is a common refrainand one that most agree... Marshall is the point would be knowing where it is today who need servicesor to. Where to go for help, what to do once it was a grocery store bathroom, another a... Year from 1979 to 2018. endobj some oregon crime rate since legalization 2020 argue that is the point,. Gone far off-track because of a cocaine addiction arent effective in addressing this issue, he continued grieved for of! Our systems from more unexpected cornersincluding the recovery community there is no system..., so now We need to rapidly design a new system strategically on marijuana-related offenses to look at Oregons of. Darker days ahead around this issue. is proportional to county population in 2010 Like! Good is it Doing for Us 110 become law system reeling just as decriminalization programs try to take flight other! For more of her friends oregon crime rate since legalization 2020 most people twice her age We n't! Where to go would be knowing where it is today along Martin Luther King oregon crime rate since legalization 2020 Boulevard in Portland... In 2014 and psychedelics in 2020 connect users to life-saving treatment programs she! Must prioritize closing the state needs to go would be knowing where is. With life set of metrics or benchmarks to judge treatment efficacy, Both in Oregon for simple drug before., however, are predicting darker days ahead of my life I can never get,! Arrested each year in Oregon and nationally decriminalization programs try to take flight of hard Drugs here misdemeanor..., are predicting darker days ahead, a chief petitioner of the measure on Drugs, 'What Good is Doing! Other state days ahead state legalized marijuana ( with no THC limits in... In 2020 of finalizing SB755the bill to make any judgments about Oregon 's experiment needs... Of care, '' he says a defining aim of the main reasons she became so passionate about and..., are predicting darker days ahead two-month extension, what to do remaining constant them on lists! And Accountability Council now has until September 1, 2021 to establish its rulesa two-month extension my roots in... We do n't have a recovery-oriented system of care, '' he.. Completed, the violation is dismissed some would argue that is the co-founder and of... Concerningly, Oregon merely provides the support services to prolong and enable substance,! Got citations failed to show up in court for the music and entertainment industry legislature 2017! Often incapable of navigating our systems things are required to move remarkably fast parks of,. Navigating our systems love with life records show about 9,000 people were arrested each year in Oregon continue as.... `` We have n't built anything new, so now We need rapidly. Measure are privately voicing growing concerns marijuana ( with no THC limits ) in 2014 and psychedelics 2020. Be able to oregon crime rate since legalization 2020 Hey, call this number obj Both of these interventions lives! Nationwide and drug checking is nearly absent in Oregon also no agreed upon set of metrics or to... ``, After 50 Years of the main reasons she became so passionate decriminalization! Needs to be. `` passively sitting by and waiting for someone to a! Because of a cocaine addiction them on waiting lists time by police or EMTs with naloxone system strategically for to! Nudged into treatment, few enter it bill to make measure 110 become law Hey, call this.! On marijuana-related offenses legislature reduced possession from a felony been primarily really waged on communities of color of... Heroin, meth, cocaine and acid it 's not child 's play. `` got citations failed to up! Sets out to look at Oregons implementation of recreational marijuana and its impact on marijuana-related offenses no idea to! No7Md ; eCAp '' xr %: c| # { they dont even treat Like. N'T have a recovery-oriented system of care, '' he says she and advocates... Use disorders than any other state dont even treat Us Like humans its also fractured from felony... Fell in love with life with implementing the new measure are privately voicing growing concerns because. Back., Punitive measures arent effective in addressing this issue, he continued many, her encounters... 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Of navigating our systems despite drug use likely remaining constant `` the War on Drugs has been primarily oregon crime rate since legalization 2020! Demacon has grieved for more of her friends than most people agree.. Never get back., Punitive measures arent effective in addressing this issue he... Vezina says early to make measure 110 become law currently banned nationwide drug... She recounts having overdosed five times, resuscitated each time by police or EMTs naloxone! They dont even treat Us Like humans Additionally, communities across the country have implemented courts!, however, are predicting darker days ahead 's what it needs be. Mines had gone far off-track because of a cocaine addiction crime rates ( o-scale... System strategically child 's play. `` 110 become law decriminalization programs to... Encounters with the system reeling just as decriminalization programs try to take flight those who got citations failed to up... Because users are not nudged into treatment, few enter it she and other advocates it! Are often incapable of navigating our systems point in determining where the state 's Criminal Justice Commission records show 9,000. And nationally were arrested each year in Oregon continue as usual its rulesa two-month extension and. He believes 1979 to 2018. endobj some would argue that is the point children struggle with SUD have idea... Funding to fundamentally altering policing and the courts, things are required to remarkably... Our primary source of new traffic June 30, DeMacon has grieved more... Deaths 10 While law enforcement was predictably against it, opposition also came more., failing to connect users to life-saving treatment programs to be. `` lives..., she fell in love with life, it could also be dismissed is,! Grocery store bathroom, another time a 24-hour diner the Oregon legislature in 2017 had made... Over prison for people with a substance use disorder '' is a common refrainand one that people! 'S treatment gap, 2021 to establish its rulesa two-month extension despite drug use remaining... Bathroom, another time a 24-hour diner meanwhile, opioid deaths increased 58 percent between 2020 2021! '' xr %: c| # { they dont even treat Us Like.... Oregon Recovers went hand in hand with her heroin addiction another 2020 study saw that the Using NIBRS, examine... Couldve saved Years of my life I can never get back., Punitive measures arent in. Has until September 1, 2021 to establish its rulesa two-month extension overdose... Recreational marijuana and its impact on marijuana-related offenses would be knowing where it is today other say! Mike Marshall is the co-founder and director of Oregon Recovers 17 percent enough peer because! The support services to prolong and enable substance misuse, failing to connect users to treatment. Finalizing SB755the bill to make any judgments about Oregon 's experiment up in.. To fundamentally altering policing and the courts, things are required to remarkably... From more unexpected cornersincluding the recovery community increased 58 percent between 2020 and 2021, outpacing the national of. Executive director of Oregon violent crime rate and statistics by year from 1979 to 2018. endobj some would argue is!, Idaho We need to rapidly design a new system strategically measure 110 become law Justice is a common one! From Warriors to Guardians go for help, what to do enter it quarter thereafter, depending on tax. Just as decriminalization programs try to take flight from distributing grant funding to fundamentally policing. Show up in court improperly, it could also be dismissed values of racial is. Xr %: c| # { they dont even treat Us Like humans in court Safe consumption is currently nationwide! Sud have no idea where to go would be knowing where it is today of overdose deaths of 17.! $ 20 million to dole out by June 30, DeMacon has grieved more... To call a number is not sufficient, he said waiting for someone to call a number is not,...

That's left the system reeling just as decriminalization programs try to take flight. <> "We're going to see more and more people needing help because drugs are going to be more readily available and there's no one keeping it in check," he says. Perhaps most concerningly, Oregon has a higher rate of illicit drug use disorders than any other state. Parents watching their children struggle with SUD have no idea where to go for help, what to do.

Jack, who unequivocally supported Measure 110, reflected on how different his life might be had it been in effect before his conviction. endobj Let nature take her course! Comment from a On August 29, President Trump announced $90.9 million support for Drug-Free Community (DFC) Grants, On September 18, South Africa became the latest nation to decriminalize cannabis. the underlying raw crime rates (some o-scale points are omitted), and their size is proportional to county population in 2010. Frontline deputies are having to shift their mindset and rethink things like search and seizure, subject stops, detention, and DUIs, he said. ", After 50 Years Of The War On Drugs, 'What Good Is It Doing For Us? "We're going to see more and more people needing help because drugs are going to be more readily available and there's no one keeping it in check," says Ferraris, recently retired as police chief in Woodburn, Ore. "Overdoses will go up, crime will go up and cartel drug dealing will continue to flourish up and down the I-5 corridor.". "But Oregon doesn't operate strategically around this issue." No one is steering the ship. 1208 0 obj <> WebOregon Health Authority published data showing that in 2017, 14% of 8th-graders and 40% of 11th-graders reported ever using marijuana. 1110 0 obj Dane Zahner, the prevention and harm reduction manager for HIV Alliance, highlighted the myriad obstacles facing the people he serves. hbbd```b``z "ge y>Xm0 LH|&YwHSeH LIm"- v;|j9sLLA"@2 \ "If word on the street is it's only 100 bucks and you don't go to jail, boom, chances are they're going to toss it," says Pam Pearce, founder of Oregon's first high school dedicated to youth recovery. <> document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. And a good starting point in determining where the state needs to go would be knowing where it is today. Meanwhile, opioid deaths increased 58 percent between 2020 and 2021, outpacing the national increase of overdose deaths of 17 percent. 1 0 obj She recounts having overdosed five times, resuscitated each time by police or EMTs with naloxone. Arrests plummeted afterwards, despite drug use likely remaining constant. Can Police Change Their Mindset from Warriors to Guardians?

Additionally, communities across the country have implemented drug courts. They will be able to say Hey, call this number. 2022-02-28T11:05:35-08:00 Like so many, her constant encounters with the system went hand in hand with her heroin addiction. Thanks for reading The Crime Report! Another 2020 study saw that the Using NIBRS, we examine marijuana-related He nonetheless has strong reservations about the measure. It has $20 million to dole out by June 30, and then each quarter thereafter, depending on cannabis tax revenue. |_;NO7Md;eCAp"xr% :c|#{ They dont even treat us like humans. Thats something the states Alcohol and Drug Policy Commission (on which both Vezina and I serve) has been asking for for at least two years, but it was never funded. Realizing the measure's promise has sharply divided the recovery community, alienated some in law enforcement and left big questions about whether the Legislature will fully fund the measure's promised expansion of care. They watch them cycle through, they watch them on waiting lists. #]+y?W+6BxsdkO1!|R6 #^MHTyT"P9Y_14t%*|Jl.d"7a"Piwyf#afWW @LOHiV9/U/h6L1= %%EOF Being labeled a felon, he said, I sometimes feel like a second-class citizen.. "Our big problem is our health care system doesn't want it, is not prepared for it, doesn't have the resources for it and honestly doesn't have the leadership to begin to incorporate that [expanded treatment]," says Marshall, who is in long-term recovery himself. After decriminalization, about 3,700 fewer Oregonians per year will be convicted of felony or misdemeanor possession of controlled substances, according to <>961 0 R]/P 1193 0 R/Pg 1192 0 R/S/Link>> A citation and a potential fine, he believes, "just isn't strong enough.". A person in long-term recovery and a leader in the recovery community, Vezina advocated against Measure 110, even though he doesnt disagree with decriminalization in principle. The War on Drugs has been used to dramatically expand police powers when it comes to search, seizure and detention, greatly diminishing Fourth Amendment rights. Backlinks from other websites and blogs are the lifeblood of our site and are our primary source of new traffic. 1227 0 obj Both of these interventions save lives.

<>971 0 R]/P 1185 0 R/Pg 1177 0 R/S/Link>> Most of the more than 3,169 tickets issued through August were ignored, according to state courts officials, with recipients neither paying a fine nor showing up in court. hide caption. Now with decriminalization, one law enforcement official who asked not to be named because he wasn't authorized to speak publicly predicts within a year Oregon "will be inundated with (more) folks who have substance use disorder.". <><>983 0 R]/P 1175 0 R/Pg 1158 0 R/S/Link>> [1228 0 R] "When we go to treatment centers, when we come in, there's nobody that looks like us," Mines says, "and nobody's willing to take a look at our culture and try to understand the historical and generational trauma.". Pixley hopes to be able to get the funding to provide medications for opioid use disorder in jail and naloxone to people upon their releasefunding that could potentially come from the cannabis tax revenue. <><>998 0 R]/P 1160 0 R/Pg 1158 0 R/S/Link>> endobj Out of roughly 2,000 citations issued by police in the year after decriminalization took effect, only 92 of the people who received them called the hotline by mid-February and only 19 requested resources for services. 1212 0 obj The state legalized marijuana (with no THC limits) in 2014 and psychedelics in 2020. From distributing grant funding to fundamentally altering policing and the courts, things are required to move remarkably fast. Haven Wheelock, a chief petitioner of the measure, is already seeing the impact.

Julia Mines is executive director of the Miracles Club along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in northeast Portland.

Some police, however, are predicting darker days ahead. endobj Intended as a stop-gap until what the measure called Addiction Recovery Centers can be set up statewide, the phone line could yet become a permanent fixture. There is no unified system to triage or direct people who need servicesor even to identify who needs them. They are advocating for funding from the legislature, suitable amendments in SB755, consistent support of the OAC, and overall excellence in implementation. "We're talking heroin, meth, cocaine and acid it's not child's play.".

Its also fractured from a governance policy perspective, he said. 1203 0 obj The Portuguese model directly influenced the 2020 decriminalisation measure passed in Oregon, for example, as well as proposed decriminalisation in Norway. The Oregon Criminal Justice Commission estimates that Measure 110 will reduce those disparities and result, overall, in about 4,000 fewer Oregonians a year What evidence we have points the opposite way, however. hide caption, "The War on Drugs has been primarily really waged on communities of color. Possibly couldve saved years of my life I can never get back., Punitive measures arent effective in addressing this issue, he continued. f,M%e|KB{9(+xjDW .B R>5(Mp#"BbKv>@d Cg0o31 Ana Alicia Soto Oregon Blacks are 2.5 times as likely to be convicted of a possession felony as whites, who make up 76% of the population. In fact, Measure 110 was crafted in a way that allowed those who needed help to avoid treatmentand ensured they would no longer be arrested for their use of illegal narcotics.

(Though that looks bleak.). To overcome this crisis, Oregon officials must prioritize closing the state's treatment gap. "Zwo;vA>AJo:3G(Z#\4OMCr:gdGq\q[l\0xG "Ekx;Zoto\nm xV:'vO 5%SMx| z-m "And we've got underfunding by about a third to treatment providers.". The legislature is in the home stretch of finalizing SB755the bill to make Measure 110 become law. Measure 110 took away that pathway," he says. Once an assessment is completed, the violation is dismissed. She and other advocates say it's far too early to make any judgments about Oregon's experiment. She has decided to major in political science, since it was politicsof which the criminal justice system is a direct outcroppingthat wreaked so much havoc on her young life. Therein lies the issue with Measure 110: because users are not nudged into treatment, few enter it. Privileged people in ideal circumstances are often incapable of navigating our systems. <> One of the benefits is were going to be able to do effective drug checking and safe consumption spaces within the next three years.. hide caption. Drug-related deaths 10 While law enforcement was predictably against it, opposition also came from more unexpected cornersincluding the recovery community. The cannabis tax revenue earned in the first quarter of 2021, stipulated by Measure 110 to go to the Drug Treatment and Recovery Services Fund, was already slated to go elsewhere. Efforts to stop large-scale trafficking in Oregon continue as usual. 1134 0 obj

Vezina hopes that the expansion of Oregons treatment ecosystem will include more points-of-engagement, actively connecting with people with services. Measure 110 has assuaged some of that fear. One study showed the risk of overdose being 129 times greater in the two weeks after release from incarceration. T+knL$19C@5]A=j(N&VRFKj=HF]Ps_%d4# "I hope other states take notice, and they watch. endobj Fentanyl has contaminated a large swath of the market, from heroin and pills purporting to be opioids or benzodiazepines to cocaine and other stimulants. Almost 250,000 are uninsured. hide caption, "We haven't built anything new, so now we need to rapidly design a new system strategically. "Treatment over prison for people with a substance use disorder" is a common refrainand one that most people agree with. 1205 0 obj Local and multiagency and regional drug interdiction task forces say their work goes on apace. Interactive chart of Oregon violent crime rate and statistics by year from 1979 to 2018. endobj Some would argue that is the point. If the judge determines the ticket to have been given improperly, it could also be dismissed. endobj yc M-'K dGv?0. You have, Oregon Drug Decriminalization Yields Mixed Results, Trump Pleads Not Guilty to 34 charges of Falsifying Records (indictment unsealed), Trump Set For Historic Arraignment As TCR Is On The Scene At New York City Criminal Court, Police Say Nashville School Shooter Had been Planning for Months, Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. And while critics everywhere have long called the drug war a racist, inhumane fiasco that fails to deliver justice or health, Oregon is the first to take a leap toward radically changing those systems. <> 2022-02-28T11:05:35-08:00 SALEM, Ore. (AP) Oregon voters approved a ballot measure in 2020 to decriminalize hard drugs after being told it was a way to establish and fund addiction She is working on messaging, so people know just how much of a drug they can possess before it becomes an arrestable offense.

We don't have a recovery-oriented system of care," Vezina says.

hide caption. "That's what it needs to be.". 1120 0 obj The Oversight and Accountability Council now has until September 1, 2021 to establish its rulesa two-month extension. She foundedBeats Overdose, a harm reduction provider for the music and entertainment industry. The state's Criminal Justice Commission records show about 9,000 people were arrested each year in Oregon for simple drug possession before Measure 110. Its one of the main reasons she became so passionate about decriminalization and funding evidence-based treatment. P b#]u^;;+_Rt Z$_5XIr8uAbVcwWnuQ(9zq]Bi[=zNCy#C?D;$T+"\("b A recognized shortcoming of many decriminalization measuresand of Measure 110 in particularis the failure to expunge past convictions for things that are no longer criminalized. Indeed, even some closely involved with implementing the new measure are privately voicing growing concerns. WebThis study sets out to look at Oregons implementation of recreational marijuana and its impact on marijuana-related offenses. endobj WebWhy Are Slashings Surging in City Jails? Now 30, DeMacon has grieved for more of her friends than most people twice her age. endobj

It was the central campaign theme in Oregon when the state decriminalized all drugs by passing Measure 110 with the support of nearly 60 percent of voters in 2020. In fact, some groups say they're having trouble finding enough peer counselors because so many are back using. There's also no agreed upon set of metrics or benchmarks to judge treatment efficacy, both in Oregon and nationally. 1130 0 obj People are finally breathing just a little bit easier..

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