Friend, I just wanted to make sure you saw Kassandra’s urgent update from earlier in the week.

On Monday, two ballot measure petitions were filed in Oregon to undo Measure 110, which decriminalized drugs and invested in addiction services and social supports.

Make no mistake: these ballot measures are a return to the drug war status quo and punitive policies that are proven failures. Their proposals to undo Measure 110 are costly and will increase racial disparities in jails, overwhelm Oregon’s courts, increase overdose risk, and other harms.

It’s vital that DPA has the resources to fight back against our powerful and well-funded opponents at this critical time. Please donate to fund our fight to protect Measure 110 and expand the services and supports people need, without the harms of criminalization and coercion.
 

We know that the war on drugs has failed, and criminalization is not the answer to the problems our communities face. We cannot go back. Please donate now, if you can, to help fund the fight.

-Paul

Paul Dana
Managing Director, Development and Political Strategy
Drug Policy Alliance
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BEGIN ORIGIAL MESSAGE
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Fight Back: Our Opponents Want to Repeal Measure 110
Date: September 18, 2023

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Friend, I have some very disappointing news to share. Two ballot measure petitions were just filed in Oregon to undo Measure 110, our historic win passed by voters that made it the first U.S. state to decriminalize drugs and invest in addictions services and social supports.

We won’t let this stand. And we need all-hands-on-deck. We need your help right now, Friend. Please donate to fund our fight to protect Measure 110.

For months, our opponents have been doing everything they can to undermine Measure 110. As they point fingers, we know Oregonians deserve real solutions to the concerns they face in their communities. Measure 110 is doing its part to address drug use and addiction with a health approach. Yet our opponents are using it as a scapegoat for other issues such as homelessness, crime, and public disorder.

Today, they made their attack on Measure 110 official. Their ballot measures would go back to criminalizing and punishing people who possess small amounts of drugs and force them into treatment under threat of incarceration.

Make no mistake: their proposal is a return to the drug war status quo and punitive policies that are proven failures. Nothing proposed in this initiative provides real solutions, instead it reverts to failed drug war tactics: more criminalization, coercive interventions, and to disappear people who are struggling without addressing the conditions that lead to homelessness and addiction.

Recriminalizing drugs is a false promise of change. It will increase overdose risk and racial disparities in the criminal legal system, disrupt treatment, and saddle people with criminal records that will serve as barriers to housing, employment, education, and other services for the rest of their lives. Jailing people is a waste of resources that results in a revolving door of arrest and incarceration that never addresses the root causes of drug use.

Forcing people into treatment is unethical, ineffective, and inhumane. Decades of data suggest it increases the risk of overdose and death. And it would make access to treatment even harder for those who are already waiting in line to take advantage of the lifesaving treatment services that Measure 110 made possible.

Doctors, addiction experts, and service providers in Oregon agree that criminalization and forced treatment are not solutions to the challenges in Oregon. “My son died of a heroin overdose when personal possession was a crime. Criminalization and threat of arrest did not save him, and it will not save the thousands of sons and daughters in need of treatment in Oregon today,” said Julia Pinsky of Jackson County, who started Max’s Mission in memory of her son.

Oregonians passed Measure 110 because, like most Americans, they know a health approach to drugs is part of the solution to building better communities. It is just beginning to deliver on its promise. Going back to a failed criminalization approach is not the answer. We must protect Measure 110 from these attacks and ensure lawmakers strengthen it by expanding and making more accessible the services and supports people need, without criminalizing people who use drugs.

Supporters like you helped us make Measure 110 possible. And right now, we need your help again to protect it. Please donate to fund our fight.

While today’s news is upsetting, our opponents trying to rollback our progress is not new. Every time we take a bold step forward, there are attempts to stop our momentum. And every time that happens, we’ve been able to count on you. At this pivotal moment, we need your continued support to defend Measure 110, end the drug war, and build a better world that puts people and communities first.