SALEM, Ore. — Some Oregon counties want to repeal Measure 110, the law passed by voters in 2020 that decriminalized user amounts of hard drugs and set aside cannabis tax revenue for drug treatment programs.
Marion County commissioners spent Wednesday listened to public testimony on the topic, including that of Marion County Sheriff Nick Hunter. The board then passed a resolution saying that Measure 110, which aimed to improve public safety and save lives, has had the opposite effect.
“We have more people suffering from drug addiction and overdose. Our communities are suffering and measure 110 just is failing," said Marion County Commissioner Colm Willis.
The resolution says the state has seen a dramatic increase in overdose deaths since the passage of the measure.
"In 2020, there were 585 overdose deaths. In 2021, that number increased to 917. As of March 8, 2023, there have been 1,161 overdose deaths confirmed in Oregon in 2022," the Marion County resolution reads.
“The promise of Measure 110 was that by decriminalizing drugs, more people would get treatment, fewer people would die of drug overdose," Willis said. "That is not the case.”
A recent study found that Measure 110 did not increase overdose deaths, and it didn't reduce them either. Instead, Oregon largely mirrored trends in other states where overdoses and deaths have surged due to the ubiquity of cheap, powerful fentanyl.
Marion County joins Polk, Jackson and Coos counties in an effort to scrap the 3-year-old law. In Clackamas County, commissioners referred a question to voters about whether Measure 110 should be repealed.
“What we're asking in this particular resolution is for the legislature to act," said Marion County Commissioner Danielle Bethell.
Regardless, the commissioners understand that any action or impact likely won't happen immediately.
Jim Moore, a professor of politics at Pacific University, said that at this point, a county resolution is just an opinion.
“The county has no direct connection into getting legislation into the legislature itself," Moore explained.
Moore said that the county's best hope for change is to lobby and ensure that a state legislator takes up the cause in the form of a bill this winter.
“If the legislature wants to bring it to the voters, they can certainly do that, or the legislature can simply change things because it’s a statute. Just like we the people can vote to change a law, the legislature can vote to change a law," Moore said.
Bethell said that it's time for the state to listen and invite more voices into the conversation.
“The legislature for far too long has not brought counties to the table to say, 'What are you experiencing and what do you need?'" Bethell said.
The Oregon Legislature next meets for a short session in February of 2024. Lawmakers have already heard from proponents of several ballot measures intended to overall Measure 110, which proponents have threatened to begin circulating if lawmakers don't make changes on their own.