Poll: Oregon Voters Want to Repeal Drug Decriminalization

by Eric Lendrum

A new poll shows that residents in the state of Oregon now want to repeal a law that they previously passed which led to the decriminalization of drug use in the state.

According to the Washington Free Beacon, the Emerson College reveals that a clear majority of 56% want a full repeal of the law, while 64% said they would prefer a partial repeal over simply leaving it in place.

In 2020, Oregon voters approved the ballot measure, known as Measure 110, which reduced the penalty for the use of hard drugs to a small fine rather than criminal charges. The measure was supported by 58% of voters, which amounted to just over 1.3 million votes in favor. This decriminalization included such drugs as heroin and methamphetamine. Subsequently, the state has witnessed a spike in public use of drugs and drug-related deaths. Since 2020, fentanyl-related deaths have surged by 210%.

In the same poll from Emerson, 58% of Oregon voters said that they believe the state is heading in the wrong direction, while 42% believe it is going in the right direction.

A similar poll from the Wall Street Journal two months ago revealed that residents of Portland are leaving the city at record levels due to the rise in homelessness and crime. U.S. Census data confirms that, between 2020 and 2022, Portland’s population decreased by 3%. In the 20 years prior to the Chinese Coronavirus pandemic, the city’s population had risen by about 23%.

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Eric Lendrum reports for American Greatness.
Photo “Oregon Capitol” by David Jiang. CC BY-SA 4.0.