House Republicans Issue Statement on M110 Audit

Oregon House Republican Office,
Press Release,

SALEM, Ore. – Oregon House Republican members of the Joint Interim Committee on Addiction and Community Safety Response Rep. Kevin Mannix (R-Salem) and Rep. Christine Goodwin (R-Canyonville) and Republican House Leader Jeff Helfrich (R-Hood River) issued the following statement regarding the recent audit of Measure 110. Measure 110 was passed with the promise that resources would be dedicated to treatment while making substance abuse legal, but the audit revealed structural failures in the way Oregon responded to the increasing waves of those addicted that the Measure created.

“This audit provides us with a roadmap as to how we need to navigate reforms to measure 110. We need to treat this as a serious challenge to the established system and an opportunity to truly fulfill the will of the voters in dealing with addiction. This supports the need to hold people accountable for their use of street drugs. We need to be able to intervene both for reasons of compassion as to the addicted individual but also the safety of our communities,” said Mannix.

“Measure 110 is a failure on many fronts, but today’s hearing confirmed that it directs too few of its resources to prevention and recovery. As a former teacher I was especially shocked to hear from parents who say even those scarce resources never make it to youth users or schools. Children who use drugs are significantly more at risk of lifelong addiction and mental health issues, but the majority party has neglected to invest in preventing addiction or recovery programs. We need to substantively reform Measure 110 from top to bottom to tackle Oregon’s drug addiction crisis,” said Goodwin

“This audit confirms that Measure 110 is failing the people of Oregon and will continue to do so without significant and fundamental reforms – like the return of criminal justice accountability and mandatory treatment for those possessing dangerous drugs like fentanyl, heroin, and meth,” said Helfrich. “More of the same from the majority party will yield the same failed results. The people of Oregon have called for change, and the legislature must answer their call in the upcoming short session.”

House Republicans have offered solutions to the failures of Measure 110 that include repealing failed and ineffective aspects of the law and instituting actions widely supported by the people of Oregon, including banning the public use of hard drugs, instituting penalties for those who possess deadly drugs like fentanyl, making treatment mandatory for those arrested on drug-related crimes in order to avoid jail, and directing resources to the county level so local entities can better address areas of acute need.