Examining Oregon's Drug Addiction Treatment and Recovery Act. An Evidence Based Analysis
By Lisa Clemans-Cope
Oregon’s Drug Addiction Treatment and Recovery Act, also known as Measure 110, decriminalized possession of small amounts of drugs for personal use and increased funding for substance use disorder treatment, harm reduction, and social services. As of early 2023, it is premature to assess the effectiveness of the Drug Addiction Treatment and Recovery Act, as the necessary systems are still being established to connect people who use drugs with assessment, treatment, harm reduction, and supportive services (Good, Leichtling, and Pustejovsky 2023; Oregon Health Authority 2023). This brief first summarizes the existing evidence on early implementation of the law, which aims to address substance use and substance use disorders from a health perspective rather than the traditional criminal legal perspective. In summary: Most of the funding, $270 million for services and treatment, was delayed for almost 18 months and not allocated until June to September of 2022, creating enormous implementation challenges (Good, Leichtling, and Pustejovsky 2023). Only $33 million was awarded in 2021 (RTI 2022; Good, Leichtling, and Pustejovsky 2023). No scientifically rigorous evaluations of the effects of this law have been published, but some initial descriptive findings offer insight. Oregon Criminal Justice data analysis shows a 4,000 decrease in felony and misdemeanor arrests for personal drug possession after the Drug Addiction Treatment and Recovery Act was enacted, compared to 2019 levels (Good, Leichtling, and Pustejovsky 2023; Oregon State Police 2023). Another study found that the rise in 911 calls following the implementation of the law in Oregon in February 2021 was comparable in both Portland and Seattle during the same period, and thus may be attributable to factors other than the new law (RTI 2022). Evaluating the law’s full impact will take time, considering past underfunding of services and treatment programs and the need for new infrastructure. The new law in Oregon aims to improve substance use treatment infrastructure to address the state’s low rate of people receiving needed treatment(SAMHSA 2023). Doubling the current treatment system has been found necessary to meet the demand for services (Lenahan et al. 2022). Yet some lawmakers are already communicating intentions to shift funding of related services to the state police (Health Justice Recovery Alliance 2022). Improving the quality, accessibility, and appeal of evidence-based interventions is a key challenge and the scope of the investment needed in services and treatment systems in Oregon is vast. The brief then describes the rationale and research evidence on three topics currently debated in the legislature and the media regarding early implementation of the Drug Addiction Treatment and Recovery Act: 1. Overco
Washington, DC; Urban Institute, 2023. 21p.