Punishing people will worsen public suffering
{Recipient.Preferred_Name__c}}, we’ve kept you updated about recent harmful efforts to roll back Measure 110, the historic law we passed that decriminalized drugs and invested in health in Oregon: [link removed] And this week marks a critical moment in our fight to protect it.
Yesterday, the Oregon legislature’s special committee on addiction and community safety officially released a cruel proposal to criminalize people struggling with drugs. It would recriminalize drug possession as a misdemeanor charge, potentially subject to fines and jail time. And it would deploy more police to respond to people in crisis instead of addressing the causes of public suffering.
This counterproductive proposal is doubling down on the disastrous drug war that will only make things worse. And we expect to see more proposals like these during the legislative session which begins next month.
With your support, we are doing everything we can to stop cruel proposals like these from moving forward. What happens in Oregon could set a dangerous precedent for drug policy reform across the country.
We share deep frustration with the continuous public suffering we’re seeing in places nationwide, from Portland to San Francisco and beyond. Every community deserves real solutions to address addiction, homelessness, public drug use, and the overdose crisis. We know that punishment will not solve anything.
Calls for criminalization and increased police presence are false promises of change. They will cycle people in and out of jail, do nothing to address root causes or conditions on the street, and will undermine any effort to support people in crisis.
And because of targeted enforcement, we know that Black, Brown, and Indigenous people and those experiencing poverty will be the most unfairly harmed. Today, even after Measure 110, Black Oregonians are issued citations for drug possession at double the rate of their population. If lawmakers get their way and go back on Measure 110, these communities will bear the brunt of punishment and be convicted, incarcerated, and saddled with criminal records – creating lifelong barriers to employment, housing, and education.
We can’t arrest or punish our way out of public suffering. Unfortunately, that’s what many lawmakers in Oregon and across the country are trying to do. Instead of providing the services and supports that are proven to help, legislators are gearing up to roll back public health approaches to drug policy and recriminalize people who use drugs. This wrongheaded approach will fail to improve the conditions on our streets and fail to save lives.
As communities across the country continue to grapple with highly visible public suffering, we need to collectively understand what is responsible for the conditions on our streets. Longstanding disinvestments in communities that rob people of their humanity and block their ability to access basic needs like housing and healthcare is what fuels public suffering.
We need solutions that address the root causes of these problems, not more of the failed war on drugs. In Oregon, any attempt to bring back criminal penalties for drug possession will exacerbate homelessness, addiction, and racial disparities. It is clear politicians are not trying to solve the problems their constituents care most about; their only concern is getting rid of the visibility of the public harm their policies have caused.
Legislators have the power to enact real solutions, and they must be held accountable in Oregon and beyond. Instead of reverting to failed drug war punishment, we need a full system of care. That means more addiction services and treatment, overdose prevention centers, rapid response behavioral health services, resources for local communities, and accessible housing and shelter.
Together, we must hold the line to build the communities we deserve.
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Learn more about how we can move away from criminalization toward health-centered approaches that allow all of us to thrive:
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And please continue standing by our side to fight against attempts to ramp up the drug war in Oregon and nationwide.
Sincerely,
Kellen Russoniello
Senior Policy Counsel
Drug Policy Alliance
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