It’s been two months since the possession of small amounts of drugs became a crime in Oregon once again. In Lane County, law enforcement officials said around 130 people are now being charged each month.
Lane County District Attorney Chris Parosa said since Sept. 1, methamphetamine possession has led to the most citations, with fentanyl in a not-too-distant second place.
However, Parosa said he's seeing fewer cases compared to 2019 or 2020, before Measure 110 temporarily decriminalized drug use.
He said some of the police officers working today have never investigated these types of crimes before, and may still be learning about the process.
“I expect numbers will likely pick up as they become more comfortable, but we shall see," said Parosa. "We're a little bit in the unknown right now."
Meanwhile, Lane County launched its new drug deflection program on Oct. 18. Since then, Parosa said all of the county’s law enforcement agencies have begun referring people to the service.
Deflection is meant for low-level criminal offenders with substance abuse issues or behavioral disorders. Arresting officers can call a peer navigator out to a scene, to reroute someone towards treatment and away from jail.
"At the end of the day, the goal of our program is ultimately to reduce substance abuse in Lane County," said Parosa. "And whatever the means by which we can achieve that, we're happy to do so."
Parosa said use of the deflection program is rising after a slow start. He said some members of the public have even reached out for assistance without having faced the threat of arrest.
He said there are currently enough peer navigators to meet demand, but it's not yet clear how widely-used the program will be in the future.
“The question will really become for us, when we begin to fill the spaces that we have within the program, will we still be able to meet the needs out there on the street level?" he said.
Lane County has received more than $2 million for its program. The money comes from HB 4002, the same law which also re-criminalized low-level drug possession.
