Oregon issues state of emergency over growing fentanyl problems in Portland

A state of emergency was declared Tuesday over growing fentanyl problems in downtown Portland, just three years after Oregon became the first state to decriminalize drug use.

Governor Tina Kotek, along with Multnomah County President Jessica Vega Pederson and Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, each issued an ordinance to establish an emergency command center for drug overdose response and prevention during at least 90 days.

“Our country and our state have never seen such a deadly and addictive drug, and we are all debating how to respond,” said Governor Kotek.

“The president, the mayor and I recognize the need to act with urgency and unity across all of our public health and community safety systems to make a dent in this crisis. We are all in this together.”

The three simultaneous emergency declarations were issued to pool and “refocus existing resources” across city, county and state jurisdictions, Kotek’s office said.

The center will serve as an immediate care access site, where those addicted to synthetic opioids will be connected to resources ranging from a bed in a drug treatment center to a meeting with a behavioral health clinician to help them register to receive food stamps.

City, county and state leaders issued a state of emergency over growing fentanyl problems in Portland. KEVIN DAHLGREN

Health department officials will also collect data on the impacts of fentanyl in downtown Portland to strategically address gaps in the government’s approach to quelling the city’s growing drug problem.

The effort also expands the Portland Police Bureau’s partnership with the Oregon State Police to crack down on those selling deadly drugs, while health representatives will conduct outreach to civilians, including distribution and training on the use of Narcan.

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“Today we move forward urgently to address these challenges together under the authority of emergency declarations. This is exactly the type of coordinated action needed to make a direct impact and a lasting difference,” said Mayor Wheeler.

The declaration establishes an emergency command center for drug overdose response and prevention for at least 90 days. AP

The statement is a recommendation from a task force established by the governor that met for several months last year to determine ways to rejuvenate downtown Portland.

The major announcement also comes just six months after data was released showing that overdose deaths from synthetic opioids, primarily fentanyl, increased 533% between 2018 and 2022 in Multnomah County, where Portland is located.

The state’s largest city has faced heavy backlash for its first-in-the-nation law of 2020 decriminalizing small-time drug use after the fentanyl crisis erupted in recent months.

Gov. Tina Kotek said Oregon is “struggling with how to respond” to the fentanyl crisis in Portland. CBS News

The law had emphasized addiction treatment over criminal punishment, but instead has seen the synthetic opioid proliferate on the streets of Portland.

Previously, health officials distributed aluminum foil, straws and sniffing kits to drug users as part of their “Harm Reduction Program.”

Oregon is dealing with the largest increase in synthetic overdose deaths in the country and the third highest of all overdose deaths, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Oregon Democrats proposed reversing part of the decriminalization law, which would undo a key part of the original bill but send those caught with hard drugs to addiction counseling instead of prison.

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Source: vtt.edu.vn

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