In 2020, Oregon became the first state to decriminalize possession of small amounts of all drugs, with the support of 59 percent of voters. Now, perhaps signaling a shift in local attitudes over government efforts, public drug use, and fentanyl overdose deaths, lawmakers have done an about-face. Last month, Oregon recriminalized low-level drug possession, once again making it a misdemeanor crime.
According a report from The Oregonian, that was a popular decision. The Oregon Insight poll, conducted for the paper by Portland-based DHM Research, 76 percent of respondents supported treating drug possession as a crime.
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This is despite the fact that nearly two-thirds also believe the law could—of course—cause more people to go to jail. Still, many counties plan to steer people to drug treatment rather than pursue criminal charges.
Earlier this year, Tera Hurst, executive director at Oregon Health Justice Recovery Alliance, told VICE that decriminalization wasn’t to blame for public drug use. Instead, she cited the lack of affordable housing, a dearth of addiction treatment options, and an increasingly addictive and toxic drug supply.
For poll responders, public drug use was a top concern.
“I’m in downtown Portland often, so it was like, as soon as they basically made it legal and they took away any punishment for it, people’s reaction to it was ‘All right, I’m not going to get punished for it. I’ll just do it when and wherever I want, regardless of where I’m at,’” said Shaun Snow, 35, and one of the poll respondents.
“I think we’re returning back to the status quo.”
According to John Horvick, senior vice president of DHM Research, the civil unrest in 2020 after the murder of George Floyd likely influenced voters in 2020 to support decriminalization. Now that people support recriminalization, he said, “I think we’re returning back to the status quo.”
Their survey showed support for recriminalization spanning different age groups and political party affiliations. However, there are some doubts about the effectiveness of public policy, according to Horvick.
In fact, the poll found that “while 60% approve of the local governments’ management of recriminalization, only 40% signaled approval of government efforts to move people into substance abuse treatment,” Oregon Live reported.
“I think part of what we’re picking up is just can government deliver on what was promised?” Horvick said. “[Voters] can look to the extent that [decriminalization] promised something and didn’t deliver. I think that’s a reasonable skepticism.”
Despite these doubts, most residents agree that something has to be done.
“Not doing anything has caused real problems, and that is so sad for me,” said Shana McCauley, 46, who took part in the recent poll. Previously, she voted in support of decriminalization in 2020, hoping to see an effective government response to public drug use. However, this wasn’t the case.
“I don’t know what the solution is, but doing nothing has had a real significant, visible impact on the community,” she said.
