Poll – ‘Truth Finally Exposed’: Majority of Oregonians Think Law Decriminalizing Drugs Needs Repealing

A large group of Oregon residents want to reverse a 2020 state law that decriminalizes many drugs as the substances plague communities.

An Emerson College poll that questioned 1,000 of the state’s voters showed 56 percent backed a total repeal of Measure 110, Fox News reported Friday.

The poll’s findings read:

The measure, passed in 2020 with 58 percent support, decriminalizes the possession of small amounts of substances including heroin, meth, and fentanyl, the Fox News report said.

Possession can result in a $100 fine, the outlet noted.

“A majority (54%) of voters think Measure 110 has increased homelessness in their communities, while 38% think the measure has no impact on homelessness, and 8% think the measure has decreased homelessness,” the poll continued.

To make matters worse, residents who fled Multnomah County, Oregon, in 2020 took over $1 billion in income as they looked for a better life, Breitbart News reported in August, noting Portland families were leaving due to the rampant homelessness and crime.

According to the Fox News article, “Oregon is the only state where personal use amounts of most hard drugs are decriminalized.”

In September 2022, KOIN reported Measure 110 also funded addiction and mental health services. However, President of the Portland Police Association Aaron Schmautz said, “Measure 110 was a complete mistake.”

“It has led to significant amounts of increase in drug use and drug dependency. And we see that bear itself out in overdoses. Even in our schools, overdoses,” he explained:

In June, Portland policeman David Baer spoke on the fentanyl crisis plaguing residents.

“It seems like all the crime that we deal with in downtown Portland, all roads lead to fentanyl, whether that’s stolen vehicles, that’s theft, burglaries, and then sometimes street violence. The fentanyl nexus is almost ever-present right now in downtown,” he continued:

Oregon did decriminalize hard drugs. … So, currently, possession of fentanyl and meth and other hard drugs is currently basically the same as a traffic ticket. It’s less than a speeding ticket. It’s actually $10 less than not wearing your seat belt. So, we’re giving out those citations, part of that citation is people receive a drug screening card. They can call the number on the card to access drug treatment and have the fine paid for them.

When speaking of Measure 110, Portland drug and alcohol counselor Kevin Dahlgren told Fox News, “It is part of a radicalized social justice movement that gives a person a right to use known as bodily autonomy,” but it did not have a lot to do with helping someone recover and improve their life.

When speaking of the recent poll, Dahlgren said, “The truth has finally been exposed and thankfully now a majority of Oregonians support its repeal.”

The Emerson College poll detailed its methods, noting, “The Oregon poll consisted of registered voters in Oregon, n=1,000, with a margin of error of +/-3%. Data was collected August 8-9, 2023 and administered by contacting landline telephones via Interactive Voice Response (IVR), emails via a voter list of emails, and online panel.”