Oregonians are understandably troubled by the nuisance of public drug use since the state decriminalized low-level possession of illegal drugs. But reversing Measure 110 is not the answer.
A new study commissioned by the CDC found no correlation between Oregon’s drug decriminalization law and rising overdose deaths. The study was published Wednesday, Sept. 27 in JAMA Psychiatry, a peer-reviewed medical journal. Researchers said after Oregon became the first state to decriminalize all drugs via Measure 110, they wanted to gauge the impact of the new policy. They looked at data spanning a year, from February 2021 to March 2022, and concluded overdose deaths.
Three years ago, 58 percent of Oregon voters approved Measure 110, a groundbreaking ballot initiative that eliminated criminal penalties for low-level…