Dr. Jeffrey Singer, Guest Opinion Published 4:55 p.m. PT Oct. 16, 2020

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If voters approve it, Measure 110 - the Drug Decriminalization and Addiction Treatment Initiative - will reduce possession of all Schedule I through IV controlled substances to Class E violations, punished by a $100 fine.

To qualify as a Class E violation, the amount of a drug an individual may possess cannot be greater than for personal use. Drug dealing or manufacturing would still be punishable.

This is a good start, but Oregonians should look to Portugal for an even better example.

In 2001, Portugal led the European Union in drug overdose deaths. Realizing that treating substance use as a crime was filling jails, fueling corruption, and failing to stop overdose deaths and disease spread, Portugal decriminalized all drugs. Resources for law enforcement were redirected toward harm reduction while drug dealing and manufacturing remain criminal offenses.

In the years since Portugals rate of HIV plunged, drug-related crimes plummeted, and Portugals drug overdose rate is among the lowest in the developed world. Today, a country that decriminalized all drugs nearly 20 years ago reports overdose deaths per million at less than one-thirtieth that of the United States. And while overall drug use by adults mirrors most of the European continent, teen drug use in Portugal has decreased relative to other EU countries.

Election 2020: Oregon's Measure 110 would decriminalize drug possession, expand treatment

Speaking before the Rhode Island General Assembly this past January, Dr. Jaoa Goulao, the architect of Portugals drug policy, explained that the program works because people with substance use disorder are not treated as criminals: If I smoke cigarettes and I get lung cancer, no one puts me in jail. Ill be offered treatment. Ill be treated with dignity even if it comes from my wrong behavior.

He also noted that law enforcement efficiency improved as police were freed fromtasks that were not reducing drug use. Drug users on the street now seek help from officers, who refer them to treatment programs.

Election 2020: Oregon's Measure 110 would decriminalize drug possession, expand treatment

Of course, not every illicit drug user has a substance use disorder. In fact, only 10 to 20%of adults over age 25 who use addictive drugs get hooked. It is perhaps with this insight that Initiative Petition 44 provides the option of a completed health assessment in lieu of a fine. This provides those who want help with an incentive to obtain it. Whats more, it directs expected taxpayer savings resulting from prisons no longer being filled with drug offenders to help fund treatment programs.

There is reason, however, to worry about what kind of programs will be offered.

Another view: Measure 110 would take away addiction treatment and cost lives

Policymakers often overemphasize abstinence-based programs, which have a disappointing track record and dont prioritize treatment with methadone and buprenorphine, which are much more effective.

Dr. Jeffrey Singer(Photo: Courtesy of the CATO Institute)

Oregon has a history of sparking nationwide changes. The Oregon Plan led to the 17th Amendment to the Constitution and the direct election of senators. Voting by mail began in Oregon in 1981. And while a small step in the right direction, this initiative may trigger the end of the destructive War on Drugs.

Jeffrey A. Singer, MD practices general surgery in Phoenix, Arizona, and is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute. He can be reached atjsinger@cato.org

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This November, Oregon can spark a withdrawal from the War on Drugs - Statesman Journal