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Police have spotted Charles Laprain with powdered fentanyl in a parking lot in Portland, Ore. Two years ago that would have been a crime.
Instead, Portland police officer David Baer writes him a $100 US ticket, which could be waived if Laprain calls the recovery hotline on the back of the citation.
Interactions like this happen everyday for Baer since Oregon brought in Measure 110, which decriminalized possession of small amounts of all hard drugs in the state in February 2021.
Oregon, for instance, saw a 52 percent rise in opioid deaths in the first year of its new measure and has struggled to get enough access to treatment in place.
Oregon, for instance, saw a 52 percent rise in opioid deaths in the first year of its new measure and has struggled to get enough access to treatment in place.