A state of emergency was declared Tuesday following a rampant fentanyl problem in downtown Portland — just three years after Oregon became the first state to decriminalize drug use.
Governor Tina Kotek, along with Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson and Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, each issued ordinances to establish emergency command centers for drug overdose response and prevention for at least 90 days.
“Our country and our state have never seen drugs this deadly and addictive, and all are struggling with how to respond,” said Governor Kotek.
“The chairman, the mayor and I recognize the need to act urgently and unite across our public health and community safety systems to overcome this crisis. We are all in this together.”
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 urgent care access site, where those addicted to synthetic opioids will be connected to resources from beds in drug treatment centers to meeting with behavioral health doctors to help with food stamp enrollment.
City, county and state leaders have each issued a state of emergency over Portland’s rampant fentanyl issue. KEVIN DAHLGREN
Health department officials will also collect data on the effects of fentanyl in Portland’s downtown area to strategically address gaps in the government’s approach to tackling the city’s growing drug problem.
The effort also extends the Portland Police Bureau’s partnership with Oregon State Police to crack down on those refusing the deadly drug, while health representatives will conduct outreach with the public, including distributing and training in the use of Narcan.
“Today, we are moving forward with urgency to address these challenges together under the authority of the declaration of emergency. This is the kind of coordinated action needed to make a direct impact and a lasting difference,” said Mayor Wheeler.
The proclamation established an emergency command center for drug overdose response and prevention for at least 90 days. AP
The proclamation is a recommendation from a task force established by the governor that met for several months last year to determine how to rejuvenate downtown Portland.
The major announcement also comes just six months after data was released showing that overdose deaths from synthetic opioids, particularly fentanyl, jumped 533% between 2018 and 2022 in Multnomah County, where Portland is located.
The state’s largest city has come under fire over the country’s first law in 2020 decriminalizing small-scale drug use after the fentanyl crisis exploded in recent months.
Gov. Tina Kotek said Oregon is “struggling with how to respond” to Portland’s fentanyl crisis. CBS News
The law has emphasized addiction treatment over criminal punishment but has instead seen synthetic opioids proliferate on Portland’s streets.
Health officials previously distributed tin foil, straws and snoring kits to drug users as part of its “Harm Reduction Programme”.
Oregon is grappling 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 are proposing to repeal part of the decriminalization law, which would have repealed key parts of the original bill but would have sent those caught with hard drugs to addiction counseling instead of prison.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
