Oregon drug law rollback advances

SALEM, Ore. — A bill recriminalizing the possession of small amounts of drugs was passed Friday by the Oregon Legislature, undoing a key part of the state’s first-in-the-nation drug decriminalization law.

The state Senate approved House Bill 4002 in a 21-8 vote after the House passed it 51-7 Thursday. The bill now heads to the desk of Gov. Tina Kotek, who said in January she is open to signing a bill that would roll back decriminalization, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported.

The measure makes the possession of small amounts of drugs such as heroin or methamphetamine a misdemeanor, punishable by up to six months in jail. It enables police to confiscate the drugs and crack down on their use on sidewalks and in parks. Drug treatment is to be offered as an alternative to criminal penalties.

The bill also aims to make it easier to prosecute people who sell drugs. It increases access to addiction medication, and to obtain and keep housing without facing discrimination for using that medication.

Decriminalization of personal-use amounts of drugs, OK’d by voters in 2020 under Ballot Measure 110, was supposed to move hundreds of millions of dollars of marijuana tax revenue into drug treatment and harm reduction programs. That didn’t translate into an improved care network for a state with the second-highest rate of substance use disorder in the nation and ranked 50th for access to treatment, according to an audit report released in 2023.

With Oregon experiencing one of the nation’s largest spikes in overdose deaths, Republican pressure intensified, and a well-funded campaign group called for a ballot measure that would further weaken Measure 110.