A homeless man, 24, holds a piece of aluminum foil he used to smoke fentanyl on March 13, 2022. (John Moore/Getty Images)
Oregon is about to embark on a new experiment as it seeks to stem the tide of fentanyl overdoses across the state.
Starting Sunday, 14 counties in Oregon will start deflection programs that are intended to help people enter recovery and avoid criminal charges and jail. The timing of the programs coincides with the start of a new misdemeanor penalty for low-level drug possession.
Both are the product of House Bill 4002 , which state lawmakers passed this year after fentanyl overdoses killed about 1,400 Oregonians in 2023, up from 280 in 2019. The bill recriminalizes possession of small amounts of drugs, while prioritizing recovery instead of jail time.
The bill allows – but does not require – counties to set up programs to help people avoid criminal charges and get help, whether through treatment or other recovery services. The programs require law enforcement, community mental health providers and prosecutors to work together for the best response. Under the law, people who don’t have access to the programs or decline them will be offered treatment and the expungement of their charges if the case goes to court.