Recriminalization

It’s been a little over a month since Oregon officially ended its experiment with drug decriminalization. Now, there’s a new set of experiments going on around the state.

Counties will approach enforcement differently, providing yet another large-scale experiment in drug policy.

Oregon lawmakers passed House Bill 4002 earlier this year, which added new criminal penalties for drug possession.

Oregon has ended its experiment with drug decriminalization. Starting Sept. 1, possession of small amounts of illicit substances are once again considered a misdemeanor crime.

Portland Police Chief Bob Day unveiled the step-by-step process that police in Oregon’s largest city will follow as they attempt to get drug users access to treatment programs after drugs are criminalized once again this weekend.

Some of the people at the heart of that process believe Oregon is on the verge of making critical mistakes that mean many parts of the state will flop when it comes to meeting the overarching goal: steering drug users who are causing public angst and disorder away from the public eye and toward recovery.

In less than a month, Oregon will end its nearly four-year experiment with drug decriminalization. Beginning Sept. 1, possession of small amounts of drugs will again be a misdemeanor crime.

Multnomah County officials announced Monday that they will temporarily halt the opening of a deflection center, where police could have taken people arrested for drug possession to access treatment.

Along with concerns of how feasible it will be to get the facility up and running in a few weeks, incoming Multnomah County District Attorney Nathan Vasquez said there are ongoing questions about how many people will be served based on current requirements.

At the beginning of August, a state grant committee rejected Clackamas County’s $1 million program over concerns it too closely resembled a process for someone charged with a crime. While Monday’s debate before the Criminal Justice Commission’s IMPACTS grant committee was about whether to reconsider a relatively small amount of money, the back and forth illustrated disagreements among key stakeholders about a central part of Oregon’s new state law known as defection.