A question I have been asked a lot recently is, “What’s next?”
Along with our network of Oregon advocates, we will continue to push for improvements. And we will continue to fiercely advocate for an evidence-based, health approach to drugs in Oregon and across the U.S.
There is policy on paper, and then there is policy in practice. As I mentioned in The Daily Beast and Rolling Stone, lawmakers scapegoated Measure 110 and gave Oregonians a false promise that HB 4002 would use the threat of jail to get people into treatment. But the reality is that people will be cycled through the criminal legal system with no meaningful connection to treatment. For many, including in areas of Oregon where services are sparse,
“treatment” will mean showing up to an NA meeting and signing a form that they attended.
Most people who will be arrested are experiencing homelessness and poverty. They won’t be connected to the housing services they most desperately need. HB 4002 will just be a cycle of arrest and release back to the street.
Public defenders and judges have warned how HB 4002 will be hard (likely impossible) to implement and will further clog the system. And even in jail, drugs are present, effective treatment is limited, and overdose occurs. The risk of overdose death increases after release.
Recriminalization is extremely harmful, and it is Black, Brown, and low-income communities in need of resources that will face the consequences, while elected officials rest easy. The recriminalization of drugs in Oregon is happening in a difficult national environment where criminal justice reforms at large are under attack by special interests. Elected officials must take immediate action to solve the issues we’re all concerned about, but they are choosing political convenience over real solutions.
Criminalization is deeply ingrained in America’s history and systems. Change takes time and perseverance through tough setbacks. At DPA, we persevere.
As politicians (re)learn that criminalization will not solve – and will worsen – the problems that Oregonians care about, opportunities to establish a true health-based drug policy should emerge.
Drug decriminalization is an important part of public health, but it cannot act alone. When it comes to public suffering, first and foremost, our communities need more humane and affordable housing and shelter. We also need more services at the street level, like community-led crisis-response teams and overdose prevention centers, that connect people to care, including addiction services. How people are engaged and connected to services matter – for services providers to be conduits of care, they need more resources and funding.
Despite this setback in Oregon, Americans still want a health approach to drugs. Currently, there is movement in Vermont, New York, and other places to pass drug decriminalization measures. We won’t back down until our communities are healthy.
We need your support during this incredibly difficult time. Make a special gift to help us fight back against politicians who want to return to failed policies of criminalization. Donate now.
