Oregon Leaders Declare Fentanyl State of Emergency in Downtown Portland

On Tuesday, Oregon government officials declared a 90-day state of emergency over downtown Portland's growing fentanyl crisis.

Oregon became the first state to decriminalize drug use three years ago.

Oregon Declares Fentanyl State of Emergency

(Photo : John Moore/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - MARCH 12: A homeless man, 24, smokes fentanyl on March 12, 2022 in Seattle, Washington. Widespread drug addiction is endemic in Seattle's large homeless community, which the city is currently trying to move out from shared public spaces. According to a recent report commissioned by Seattle Councilmember Andrew Lewis, the COVID-19 pandemic put undue pressure on the city's shelter system and delayed funds for new housing, leading to an increase in homelessness.

According to a law signed by Governor Tina Kotek, along with Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson and Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, an emergency command center for drug overdose response and prevention will be established for at least 90 days.

Kotek said that their country and their state have never seen a drug this deadly and addictive, and all are grappling with how to respond.

"The Chair, the Mayor, and I recognize the need to act with urgency and unity across our public health and community safety systems to make a dent in this crisis. We are all in this together," she continued.

Kotek's office claimed three simultaneous emergency declarations were issued to combine and refocus existing resources across the city, county, and local jurisdictions.

The center will function as an immediate care access site, providing synthetic opioid addicts with access to resources from a bed in a drug treatment center to a meeting with a behavioral health clinician to help with registering for food stamps.

Furthermore, health department officials will gather data on the effects of fentanyl in the downtown region to proactively address gaps in the government's approach to combating the city's rising drug problem.

The initiative also extends the Portland Police Bureau's partnership with Oregon State Police to target traffickers in lethal drugs. Health representatives will conduct outreach to the general public, providing training and distribution of Narcan.

Wheeler stated that they will move forward urgently to address these challenges together under the authority of emergency declarations. He added that this is the coordinated action needed to make a direct impact and a lasting difference.

The declaration was a suggestion from a governor-established task force that met for several months last year to determine ways to rejuvenate downtown Portland.

The major announcement also comes just six months after data was made public indicating that overdose deaths from synthetic opioids, mainly fentanyl, increased by 533% between 2018 and 2022.

At Least 24 Arrested in Drug Trafficking Investigation in Oregon

Law enforcement agencies reported on Wednesday that they had made two dozen arrests and seized weapons, fentanyl, methamphetamine, and other substances during an investigation into what authorities described as a major drug trafficking group based in southern Oregon.

The investigation lasted for more than a year and involved several organizations, including the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Oregon State Police, and the Grants Pass Police Department. The agencies announced the investigation at a joint press conference on Wednesday in Grants Pass.

According to Oregon State Police, officers collected 37 guns, 4.4 pounds (2 kilograms ) of meth, 1.4 pounds (636 grams) of fentanyl pills and 0.11 pounds (52 grams) of fentanyl.

David Reames, special agent in charge of the DEA's Seattle division, said that the amount of fentanyl could have produced almost 144,000 deadly doses. The DEA stated that fentanyl doses as low as 2 milligrams can be fatal.

Furthermore, officers also seized 0.13 pounds (58 grams) of cocaine and 250 pounds (113 kilograms) of marijuana.