Oregon voters will decide in November whether to expand access to drug addiction treatment and reduce criminal penalties for simple drug possession, the Oregon Secretary of State officially confirmed Aug. 12.
The Drug Addiction Treatment and Recovery Act has been officially certified as Ballot Measure number 110. Measure 110 would expand access around the state to drug addiction treatment and recovery services, paid for with a portion of taxes from legal marijuana sales, according to a press release. About one in 10 adults in Oregon need treatment for substance use disorder but have not received it, according to the federal government.
Measure 110 does not legalize drugs. Rather, it decriminalizes small amounts of drug possession as part of a shift to a health-based approach to addiction.