Dear Friend,
Our communities want and need a health-focused approach to drugs. People deserve safety, dignity, and health, whether they are actively using drugs or in recovery. This is what Oregon’s Measure 110 provides by investing in addiction services and support instead of arresting and incarcerating people.
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"I can see the hope in their eyes when they realize they have resources awaiting them. They have a spark of hope instead of just hitting back to the streets and being addicted, being homeless.”
-Jesse Moore, a peer support worker funded by Measure 110 and who works with people released from prison.
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Yet Oregon’s Measure 110 is under a relentless attack by opportunistic drug war defenders who want punishment over health - all for political gain.
While Measure 110 is in the early days of its implementation, the initial impacts show that it is beginning to deliver on its promise: [link removed]
--Expanding health funding. More than $302 million and counting have been disbursed to overdose prevention, housing, peer support, harm reduction, addiction treatment and recovery programs, and other low-threshold services tailored to fit people’s needs.
--Reducing arrests, reinvesting funds towards health. The average number of monthly arrests for drug possession plummeted by 65% after decriminalization took effect, keeping thousands of people out of the criminal legal system. Even better, the Oregon Office of Economic Analysis ([link removed]) recently stated that Measure 110 has already saved nearly $40 million from the criminal legal system and is reinvesting that funding into addiction services.
--Impacting people’s lives. Tens of thousands of people are accessing a wide range of services without fear of arrest thanks to Measure 110. The impact will only grow as service implementation grows. The latest data (Summer-Winter 2022) from Oregon Health Authority shows:
------The number of people seeking substance use disorder treatment through Measure 110 increased 44%.
------People in recovery who were provided housing services increased by more than 125%, and those provided employment services increased by 136%.
------More than 10,100 people received overdose prevention and more than 7,600 people received peer support services to help with recovery.
--Maintaining safety. Initial findings from an independent evaluation ([link removed]) show that Measure 110 protects public safety and has not caused an increase in crime.
But the opposition is invested in criminalizing people rather than addressing root causes that can lead to lasting, meaningful change. They are inaccurately blaming Measure 110 as the cause of nearly every problem in Oregon – and some major media outlets are helping them perpetuate these falsehoods. What they aren’t saying is that criminalization is a revolving door of arrest and incarceration with no adequate access to services and support. It’s a dead end.
It’s time to share the real story about Oregon.
Read and share with your networks and on social media the real-life stories about Measure 110 such as how the Oregon Change Clinic was able to transform an old hotel that now offers safe housing and outpatient services where people are thriving and building community: [link removed]
Thank you,
Lindsay LaSalle
Managing Director, Policy
Drug Policy Alliance
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