Lane County Commissioners have added their voice to the chorus calling for Measure 110 reform. They voted unanimously Tuesday to recommend the legislature make changes to the voter-passed initiative when it meets in February.
Measure 110 passed in 2020 and decriminalized the possession of small amounts of illegal drugs. Unlike some other Oregon municipalities, Lane County is not calling for a repeal of the law. But it is calling for reform.
“What Lane County is trying to do is offer constructive, meaningful input into this situation," said Alex Cuyler, Lane County's intergovernmental relations manager. "Hopefully, I think that we’ve built a reputation in Salem as being a broker of good ideas and good information and this will help for us to continue that model.”
Among the county's recommendations is for the state to reclassify drug possession to a class A misdemeanor and to increase investment in criminal justice and behavioral health care.
There are eleven reform items included in the Board’s adopted position, including:
- Reform rather than repeal.
- Reclassify Possession of a Controlled Substance from a Class E violation to a Class A misdemeanor and a new Class A misdemeanor for public use of a controlled substance, as long as it is accompanied by improved investment in criminal justice and behavioral healthcare systems to better serve Oregonians. (Simply reintroducing sanctions without other changes and investment will only exacerbate the issues reform is intended to correct.)
- Support legislation that requires prioritizing funding for expansion of treatment capacity over other existing uses of the funding associated with the Behavioral Health Resource Networks (BHRN) created by Senate Bill 755.
- Ensure funding eligibility for organizations that solely focus on treatment for justice-involved individuals.
- Support diversion and sufficient investment and redesign to improve diversion programs.
- Support statutory requirement that funds continue to be allocated to specialty courts, including drug courts.
- Support for better defined peace office, director, and other hold authority needed in statute to limit liability for local government, non-profits, and other contracted service providers.
- Support legislation creating incentives for successful local implementation of programs such as the Community Corrections Act and others.
