Members of the Oregon Senate talk on the Senate floor, March 1, 2024, at the Capitol in Salem, Ore. The Senate approved House Bill 4002, which passed yesterday in the House. Sen. Kate Lieber (center, standing) a Democrat from Portland, was one of the architects of the bill. Sen. Tim Knopp (seated in front of Lieber), a Republican from Bend and the Minority Leader, said the bipartisan bill was a response to the will of Oregonians.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
Oregonâs pioneering drug decriminalization experiment is dead. At least if state lawmakers get their way.
The Oregon Senate on Friday passed House Bill 4002 on a 21-8 vote, with support from both Democrats and Republicans. It now heads to the desk of Gov. Tina Kotek, who has declined to say whether she supports the bill, but has signaled she is open to reintroducing penalties for drug possession.
HB 4002 would upend a voter-approved decriminalization policy that has been in place for three years. Under the bill anyone caught with small amounts of illicit drugs like meth or fentanyl could face up to six months in jail. The bill offers people options to pursue drug treatment rather than receiving criminal penalties, and allows people convicted of possession to have their record automatically expunged.
Despite those âoff ramps,â the bill has been harshly criticized by advocates for drug decriminalization, who accuse lawmakers of retreating to a war on drugs that had particularly negative outcomes for people of color.
Among its many provisions, HB 4002 also expands access to medications used to treat opioid withdrawal, creates new addiction services facilities, and makes it easier for prosecutors to seek steep penalties for drug dealers.
âWith this bill, we are doubling down on our commitment to make sure Oregonians have access to the treatment and care that they need,â said Senate Majority Leader Kate Lieber, D-Portland, who co-wrote the bill. Lieber argued HB 4002 will âbe the start of real and transformative change for our justice system.â
Fridayâs outcome came as no surprise. In the days since Democrats announced an amended version of the bill that met many demands from Republicans and law enforcement officials, there has been little doubt HB 4002 would cruise to passage.
That was reflected Thursday, when the state House approved the bill with a 51-7 vote. It was even more clear when senators voted to approve a $211 million funding package based on HB 4002 prior to taking up the bill itself. That package passed 27-3 in the 30-member Senate.
Still, the recriminalization proposal inspired debate â and emotional retelling of lawmakersâ first person experience with addiction in their lives.
Many lawmakers agreed that Oregon needed to take a step to address a growing addiction crisis, and that HB 4002 struck a balance for doing that.
âIt didnât appear at the beginning of this process that there was going to be a willingness to do what was necessary to begin to turn the tide,â said Senate Minority Leader Tim Knopp, R-Bend. âIâm glad to stand on the Senate floor today and report: Oregonians, you won.â
Knopp like many other Republican lawmakers has tied surging overdose deaths in Oregon directly to Measure 110.
âMeasure 110 was not what Oregonians thought it was,â he said. âThey were told that their family, their friends, were going to get treatment for addiction. And what it turned into was a free-for-all of public drug use, increased fentanyl, opioid overdose deaths increasing exponentially, and Oregon becoming seen as a national dumpster fire.â
Thatâs a perspective that has been disputed by some research that suggests that increased prevalence of fentanyl, not decriminalization, is largely to blame for many of the stateâs woes.
Some supporters of HB 4002 were more measured in their support. Sen. Jeff Golden, D-Ashland, said heâs been urged by constituents not to support a return to the war on drugs. âSo my support for this measure today is rooted in trust that itâs not a return to the war on drugs,â said Golden, adding that heâd advocate for changes if the law is found to have harmful effects. âIâve given that vow to those in my district who are desperately afraid of whatâs about to happen.â
Other Democrats said HB 4002 went too far.
Sen. Lew Frederick, a Portland Democrat and one of four Black senators, said he could not vote on a bill that he believes will be harmful for people of color.
âThere are too many flaws for me to say yes,â said Frederick, after recounting the history of a drug war he said had been designed to target Black people. âI simply cannot have faith that there will be an equal compassionate treatment given the history of these official anti-drug efforts.â
Sens. Michael Dembrow, D-Portland, and Floyd Prozanski, both argued that Oregon was rushing out a law that is not ready â a mistake they said mirrored Oregonâs flawed implementation of Measure 110.
âThe fundamental flaw with Ballot Measure 110 was that it decriminalized first and only slowly funded, designed and implemented the needed treatment programs,â said Dembrow, who said he worried about the impact of hundreds of additional criminal cases on an already strained courts system. âIn its current form, there are just too many question marks around its potential to be effective, and particularly to be implemented in a fair and nondiscriminatory manner, around the state.â
Prozanski said he would have supported the bill if it came with a âsunsetâ provision that automatically ended criminal penalties for drug use after a certain amount of time.
âItâs very unfortunate, from my perspective, that we didnât stay the course and address the open use of controlled substances on a short-term basis,â he said.
The final decision about the future of Oregon drug policy may fall to Kotek. The Democratic governor often refuses to indicate whether or not sheâll sign a given bill ahead of time, saying she needs to read the fine print before making a choice.
Kotek, however, has signaled she could support HB 4002. She said in January that she is open to signing a bill that would roll back decriminalization.
âI want to see a proposal that answers a set of questions,â Kotek said at the time. âOne piece will be criminalization, but if we just look at criminalization in isolation, I think itâs missing the point. So my question is going to be ⦠what else are you going to do different to make sure we have better outcomes?â
Kotek has more factors to weigh than just her own analysis of the bill. A coalition headed by a former head of the state corrections department has proposed a ballot measure that would more drastically roll back drug law.
That group signaled Thursday that it would stand down if Kotek signs HB 4002.
Under state law, when the Legislature is in session Kotek has five business days to decide whether to veto a bill, sign it, or let it pass into law without a signature. If the Legislature adjourns before that five days has elapsed, the governor must make her decision within 30 business days following adjournment.
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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