{"id":82732,"date":"2025-08-13T07:07:55","date_gmt":"2025-08-13T15:07:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2025\/08\/13\/oregons-now-repealed-drug-decriminalization-law-didnt-drive-increase-in-overdoses-or-crime-federally-funded-study-shows\/"},"modified":"2025-08-13T19:54:30","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T03:54:30","slug":"oregons-now-repealed-drug-decriminalization-law-didnt-drive-increase-in-overdoses-or-crime-federally-funded-study-shows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2025\/08\/13\/oregons-now-repealed-drug-decriminalization-law-didnt-drive-increase-in-overdoses-or-crime-federally-funded-study-shows\/","title":{"rendered":"Oregon\u2019s Now-Repealed Drug Decriminalization Law Didn\u2019t Drive Increase In Overdoses Or Crime, Federally Funded Study Shows"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n

\u201cOf all the events we examined, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the justice system the most, more so than any legislation.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

By Mia Maldonado, Oregon Capital Chronicle<\/strong><\/p>\n

For years, critics have blamed Oregon\u2019s 2020 ballot measure that decriminalized possession of small amounts of drugs for the state\u2019s rising crime and overdose rates. But a new study suggests otherwise.<\/p>\n

Researchers from Portland State University\u2019s Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice released their final report\u00a0examining the impacts of years of major drug policy changes between 2008 and 2024 on crime and drug-related deaths. The report, created in partnership with the National Institute of Justice, finds little evidence to support claims that Oregon\u2019s drug decriminalization policy caused higher crime and overdose deaths.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIn the lead-up to HB 4002, many claimed that Measure 110 was responsible for rising crime and overdose deaths. However, our findings offer little to no support for those claims.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The report outlines a decade of Oregon\u2019s drug policy reforms, starting in 2013 when Oregon enacted\u00a0a law\u00a0reducing mandatory minimum sentences for marijuana and diverted more drug offenses to probation. Then in 2017, lawmakers passed\u00a0a law\u00a0to reclassify moderate drug possession felony offenses to misdemeanors for Schedule 1 or 2 drugs, such as heroin and cocaine.<\/p>\n

Finally, in November 2020, Oregon voters passed\u00a0Measure 110, which decriminalized possession of small amounts of drugs, such as methamphetamine and fentanyl. The policy took effect in 2021, downgrading misdemeanor charges to a violation punishable with a $100 fine.<\/p>\n

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\u201cOregon\u2019s drug policy shifts, including defelonization (2017) and decriminalization (2021), had no significant, sustained effects on property or violent crime rates.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Researchers found no evidence linking the measure to increased crime or drug deaths. Instead, the study<\/a> found the COVID-19 pandemic and the emergence of fentanyl were the main drivers behind the rise in crime rates and drug-related deaths.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf all the events we examined, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the justice system the most, more so than any legislation,\u201d\u00a0Brian Renauer, a lead researcher and university professor, said in a news release.<\/p>\n

Overdose deaths were rising before Oregon decriminalized drugs<\/h4>\n

In 2020, there were 816 overdose deaths in Oregon\u2014about 200 more than the previous year. That number more than doubled and peaked in 2023 at 1,833 overdose deaths.<\/p>\n

Lawmakers anticipating a citizen-led initiative to repeal Measure 110\u00a0effectively ended the drug decriminalization experiment<\/a>, when overdose deaths had already begun to decline. There were 1,480 recorded overdose deaths in 2024.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThe rise in overdose deaths was driven primarily by the COVID19 pandemic and the proliferation of fentanyl, rather than specific drug policy changes.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Since the new law took effect in September, people caught with small amounts of drugs can once again be arrested and face criminal charges. But they can avoid charges by entering a deflection program and receiving treatment.<\/p>\n

Christopher Campbell, a lead researcher and associate professor at the university, said that while Measure 110 had its flaws and regional impacts, crime trends statewide were stable or declining by 2023.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we observed was far from a causal connection to Measure 110,\u201d Campbell said<\/a>. \u201cRather, we saw an unprecedented impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and fentanyl on public health and safety outcomes.\u201d<\/p>\n

This story was first published by Oregon Capital Chronicle.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

The post Oregon\u2019s Now-Repealed Drug Decriminalization Law Didn\u2019t Drive Increase In Overdoses Or Crime, Federally Funded Study Shows<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n


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\nRead More: Oregon\u2019s Now-Repealed Drug Decriminalization Law Didn\u2019t Drive Increase In Overdoses Or Crime, Federally Funded Study Shows<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cOf all the events we examined, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the justice system the most, more so than any legislation.\u201d By Mia Maldonado, Oregon Capital Chronicle For years, critics have blamed Oregon\u2019s 2020 ballot measure that decriminalized possession of small amounts of drugs for the state\u2019s rising crime and overdoseContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":457,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[15462],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82732"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/457"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=82732"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82732\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":82733,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82732\/revisions\/82733"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82732"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82732"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82732"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}