Oregon voters, lawmakers turn on ‘anti-police’ drug law amid widespread overdoses and homelessness
Story by Nikolas Lanum • 1d
Amid a massive uptick in overdose deaths, open-air fentanyl use and rampant homelessness, Oregon voters and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are turning on a law that decriminalizes drug possession.
"What we have done is caused the death of literally thousands of people in the name of harm reduction. So, I think as voters, as Americans, as compassionate people, we need to take a hard look at what we've done and look at how we're going to fix it," National Police Association
Over the last several months, business owners, residents and law enforcement in the state have detailed stories of families grieving over the loss of their teenage sons and daughters, drug-addled people laying unconscious in the street and addicts turning to retail theft for a quick fix.
According to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Oregon had the largest year-to-year increase of fentanyl deaths in 2023, up 41% between September 2022 and September 2023.
