Police officer David Baer pulls a man who was caught smoking fentanyl to issue him a citation and to offer him a card that lists a 24-hour treatment hotline which he can call to get his citation dismissed in Portland, Oregon, U.S. February 7, 2024. REUTERS
PORTLAND, Oregon — It’s a common sight on the streets of downtown Portland, Oregon: people in front of stores, trendy restaurants and hotels, on sidewalks, corners, and benches, crouched over torch lighters held up to sheets of tinfoil or meth pipes.
Some drape blankets over their heads or duck behind concrete barriers. Others don’t try to hide.
“All summer long, we were right out in the open. You didn’t have to be paranoid anymore, you didn’t have to be worried about the cops,” said John Hood, a 61-year-old drug addict living on the streets of Oregon’s most populous city.
Hood spoke to Reuters on a downtown Portland corner, across from where he had just smoked fentanyl and methamphetamine outside an old bus station-turned-homeless shelter.
READ: US opioid crisis: From pills to fentanyl
“It was like smoking cigarettes. You just did it, and you didn’t have to worry about it. Now they’re cracking back down. They’re wanting to make it illegal.”
Oregonians in 2020 passed a ballot measure that created the most liberal drug law in the country, decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of illicit drugs and funneling hundreds of millions of dollars in cannabis taxes to addiction recovery services.
What’s known as Measure 110 was touted as a revolutionary approach, treating addiction as a public health matter, not a crime. The skepticism around it comes as cities across America are seeking solutions for a drug crisis. Nationally, the U.S. drug overdose death toll crossed 100,000 for the first time in 2021 amid the medical care disruptions of COVID, increased mental health problems, and the widespread availability of lethal drugs.
Under Measure 110, instead of arresting drug users, police issue them $100 citations along with a card that lists the number to a hotline for addiction treatment services, which they can call in exchange for help dismissing the citation. Those who simply ignore the citations face no legal ramifications. State data shows only 4 percent of people who receive citations call the hotline.
Now, facing public pressure amid a surge in overdose deaths, state lawmakers are preparing to vote on re-criminalization sometime during the session that started earlier this month. Democrats, who are the statehouse majority, are pushing for a bill to make small-scale drug possession a low-level misdemeanor, punishable by up to 30 days in jail, with the opportunity to seek treatment instead of facing charges.
Measure 110 garnered support from 58% of voters, including 74% of voters in Portland’s Multnomah County. The law that resulted went into effect in February 2021. According to an August survey by Emerson College, 56% of Oregonians support a total repeal of Measure 110; 64% support changes to the law.
“It became very, very obvious that what was happening on the streets of Portland, and what was happening on Main Street, Oregon, was unacceptable,” said state senate majority leader Kate Lieber, a Democrat who co-chairs the legislator’s addiction committee.
The proposed bill also carries harsher sentences for drug dealers, wider access to medication for opioid addiction, and expanded recovery and housing services along with drug prevention programs.
Republican lawmakers say the bill falls short. Their own proposals include up to a year in jail for drug possession, with the option for treatment and probation in lieu of jail time.
“We need serious penalties in order to make sure that people are getting into treatment, as opposed to staying on the street,” said state senate minority leader Tim Knopp.
READ: US fentanyl-related deaths more than tripled over 5 years
Portland, a city of some 630,000 known for its coffee houses, bike paths, book shops and breweries, has long grappled with homelessness. The COVID-19 pandemic saw a normally vibrant, bustling downtown eroded by business closures. Storefronts have been boarded up, and camping tents and litter have overtaken sidewalks. Once the fentanyl crisis grabbed a foothold in Oregon in 2019, the use of synthetic opioids exploded.
Tera Hurst, whose Oregon Health Justice Recovery Alliance focused on Measure 110’s implementation, does not believe the proposed changes will be effective.
“It’s not actually going to save lives or help people get into services. It’s going to create barriers to housing and employment, which is what criminal records do,” Hurst said.
Drug overdose deaths increased by a third in Oregon from 2019 to 2020 and another 44% in 2021, according to state figures. A New York University study found no notable connection between the new law and the rising number of overdoses; a University of Toronto study found the opposite.
Nationwide, drug overdose deaths rose 0.7% from 108,825 Americans in 2022 to more than 109,000 in 2023. Oregon’s increase over that period was 11%, putting it among seven states with double-digit percentage increases, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s most recent annual figures.
Oregon’s Measure 110 funds were slow to be distributed to recovery programs, according to a state audit. The state’s drug treatment infrastructure was inadequate at the law’s onset. Federal data from 2020 ranked Oregon last in the nation for access to drug treatment due to historic underinvestment.
If Measure 110 is repealed or changed, Hood anticipates he’ll keep using it, albeit more discreetly.
“I’m going to go back underground and hide it and just go back to the old ways. And just hope I don’t get caught,” he said. “I’m sure one day I’ll wake up and want to get some help.”
A special weather statement was issued by the National Weather Service on Saturday at 11:39 p.m. until Sunday at 4 a.m. for North Central Oregon and Central Oregon.
“Patchy dense fog will reduce visibilities to one quarter of a mile or less in the city of Bend and portions of US-97, US-197, and US-20. If you are driving, slow down, use low beam headlights and allow for extra space between your vehicle and those around you,” according to the weather service.
When Emily Purry casually asked her surf guide how far off she might be from competing, she never expected his answer would catapult her onto Team USA within weeks. On a recent episode of the Peak Northwest podcast, Purry shared the whirlwind journey that transformed her from a beginner blind adaptive surfer to an international competitor representing Oregon on the world stage.
“It was quite the whirlwind. Honestly, nothing that I expected or really even thought could happen,” Purry, who goes by “Strong Sightless Surfer” on Instagram, told host Chiara Profenna. “I’ve been surfing for a very short time. I’m very new to the sport.”
That conversation with her guide quickly escalated from hypothetical to actionable. When he suggested she could compete immediately, Purry discovered she needed to enter a competition before Team USA tryouts, leaving her with just two options: Hawaii the following week or Japan in three weeks.
Despite being a novice surfer who had progressively lost her sight to Stargardt’s macular degeneration, she made a decision that would intimidate even seasoned travelers: “As weird as it sounds, I think I can pull off Japan. And so, I flew to Japan independently. It was my first time flying internationally by myself.”
The logistics were daunting. In rapid succession, Purry had to purchase her first surfboard, navigate international travel alone, and trust strangers in a foreign country where communication was difficult. “I had to meet people I’d never seen before in my life. I talked to one of them on the phone once,” she explained, detailing how she was picked up by a Japanese man whose English was limited.
Despite these challenges, Purry not only competed in Japan but returned home and, just eight days later, successfully tried out for Team USA.
For Purry, this journey represents far more than athletic achievement.
“It started to bring my confidence back as far as who was I, who I used to be, and how much I missed me as a human being,” Purry shared, highlighting the deep connection between physical activity and sense of self.
Purry spoke on the podcast as she was preparing for the ISA (International Surfing Association) World Competition in Oceanside, California, held Nov. 2–7.
“I definitely want to win,” she shared on the podcast, revealing the competitive spirit that propelled her from that first casual conversation to the international stage in mere weeks. In Oceanside, Purry went on to help Team USA secure the silver medal at the ISA World Championships.
Listen to the full episode here:
Subscribe to The Oregonian/OregonLive’s travel and outdoors podcast Peak Northwest on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or anywhere else you listen to podcasts. Hosts Jamie Hale and Chiara Profenna take you to some of the greatest destinations in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. Check out more Peak Northwest episodes below.
We’re at the final week of Oregon high school football and the Class 3A state tournament all comes down to No. 1 Cascade Christian (12-0) and No. 3 Burns (11-1).
Here is a breakdown of Saturday’s Class 3A state championship game, which will take place at 4:30 p.m. at Summit High School in Bend.
Last meeting: Burns won 46-19 in Week 3 of the 2014 season.
Quick fact: Cascade Christian is vying to become the first team to give up zero points en route to a state title since Regis won the Class A championship in 1973.
Road to the final: Def. Phoenix 54-7 (first round), Vale 32-20 (quarterfinals), Banks 36-31 (semifinals)
Last state championship: 2024 (second)
Last state final: 2024 (fifth appearance)
Coach: Matt Bruck, third season (28-14)
Offensive leaders: QB Jack Wright, sr. (144-246-3-2445, 40 TDs pass; 88-491-12 rush); RB Tommy Winn, sr. (139-943-9); WR Coltin Miller, sr. (79-1505-21); WR Preston Hill, sr. (31-471-7); TE Cannon Kemper, jr. (19-342-8)
Defensive leaders: LB Jasper SkunkCap, jr. (73 tackles, 15 for loss); DL Joe Weil, sr. (68 tackles, 28 for loss, 11.5 sacks); LB Kemper (69 tackles, 10.5 for loss, 5.5 sacks); LB Colter Handley, soph. (56 tackles, 5 for loss); DL Ben Chamberlain, jr. (13 tackles for loss)
Lighthearted moment: Several weeks ago, the team played a game of “blob tag,” which requires teammates to remain attached by holding hands or interlocking arms, and as they tag players and attach them to the blob, it breaks off to form new blobs. Who started as the blob? Two of their biggest linemen — Weil and classmate Wesley Graham — trying to chase down their quicker teammates, which Bruck said was a funny sight.
Secret weapon: Weil also rated a mention as the leader of the Hilanders’ offensive and defensive lines.
“On the offensive side of the ball, they create gaps for Tommy and Jack to run through as well as protect Jack,” Challengers coach Jon Gettman said. “On defense, they just shut down a Banks team that had run the ball really well all season. They are a very physical, well-coached team that puts a lot of pressure on you.”
Road to the final: Def. Pleasant Hill 68-0 (first round), North Valley 48-0 (quarterfinals), Gervais 36-0 (semifinals)
Last state championship: 2023 (fifth)
Last state final: 2023 (eighth appearance)
Coach: Jon Gettman, 16th season (155-32)
Offensive leaders: QB Deryk Farmer, sr. (89-147-4-1556, 16 TDs pass; 64-682-11 rush); RB Bryson Walker, jr. (89-986-27); WR Caleb Scaglione, sr. (38-563-7); WR Mikey Covey, soph. (11-353-2); WR Caleb Parker, sr. (15-335-3)
Defensive leaders: LB Covey (63 tackles, 14 for loss, 3.5 sacks, 11 hurries); LB Wyatt Hurley, jr. (59 tackles, 6 for loss); LB Walker (58 tackles); DE Alex Fiannaca, sr. (53 tackles, 11.5 for loss); LB Seth Scaglione, jr. (44 tackles, 10 for loss, 4.5 sacks); DE Austin Cook, jr. (9.5 tackles for loss)
Lighthearted moment: One night before the season kicked off, Gettman invited all the players and their fathers to gather for a night of worship and prayer along with a talk from guest speaker Brandon Boice, a former Oregon State player. It was such a success that Gettman held another session during their Week 7 bye.
“We spend so much time and effort on the gridiron,” Gettman said. “But the greatest blessing is seeing these young men grow up and be leaders in the community. So, taking a break from the season and just being able to speak to the weightier things of life is what I’m thankful for.”
Secret weapon: Bruck pointed to their big three of Farmer, Walker and Caleb Scaglione, “but everything has to run through their quarterback,” he said. “But really, you have to pay equal attention to their trio.”
— René Ferrán is a freelance reporter for The Oregonian/Oregon Live. René grew up in Portland and has written about high school sports in the Pacific Northwest since 1993, with his work featured at the Idaho Press Tribune, Tri-City Herald, Seattle Times, Tacoma News Tribune, The Columbian and High School on SI. He can be reached at rferran.oregonianhssports@gmail.com
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