A bipartisan group of Oregon senators – and later lawmakers in the House – approves House Bill 4002 to recriminalize possession of small amounts of drugs during the 2024 session. (Screenshot)
State officials have reversed course and voted to fully fund a Clackamas County initiative meant to offer people drug treatment, outside the criminal justice system.
Less than two weeks ago, the same Oregon grant committee rejected the county’s $1 million program over concerns it too closely resembled a process for someone charged with a crime.
The decision comes weeks before a new state law goes into effect that will recriminalize possession of drugs such as fentanyl and methamphetamine and allow police to arrest and charge people with misdemeanor drug possession. The new law kicks in Sept. 1.
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 deflection.