Oregon Law To Decriminalize Drug Use Goes Into Effect, Offering Addiction Treatment Instead Of Incarceration

On February 1, 2021, Oregon’s new law decriminalizing drug use went into effect. The law, Measure 110 or the Drug Addiction Treatment and Recovery Act, was passed by referendum in the election on November 3, 2020. The goal is to shift the state’s response to drug possession from criminalization to treatment and recovery. It directs the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) to establish a more health-based, equitable, and effective approach to addiction treatment.

The state is reclassifying multiple criminal sentencing laws regulating the possession of controlled substances in quantities for personal use. People found in non-commercial possession . . .