by KATU Staff | Sun, October 1st 2023, 1:20 PM PDT
Washington County District Attorney Kevin Barton – KATU photo
PORTLAND, Ore. — Oregon lawmakers will meet early next year for what could be a very challenging short session.
This past week, during legislative days, we got a preview of some of the issues they could be addressing.
Among them: Behavioral health, addiction, and Measure 110.
That’s the measure voters approved in 2020 which decriminalized small amounts of hard drugs and dedicated tax dollars from marijuana sales to addiction treatment.
Under Measure 110, police can issue $100 dollar citations to suspected drug users. However, if the person who received the citation agrees to get help, the citation is dropped.
On Wednesday, several police agencies pleaded with lawmakers, saying the citation system following Measure 110 is not enough to address the current drug crisis.