Umatilla County wants changes to Measure 110
By Terry Murry on Thursday, November 9th, 2023 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
UMATILLA COUNTY – Umatilla County has joined with several other counties in Oregon calling for the Oregon Legislature to fix the measure that decriminalized possession of user amounts of narcotics. Measure 110 was passed by voters, many of whom now say they thought the measure was simply about treatment opportunities for substance use disorders.
Umatilla County Commissioner John Shafer said it’s no longer an issue pitting conservatives against liberals. He said, for example, the most liberal commissioner he knows in the state wants has made her opinion clear.
“She said, ‘If Ballot Measure 110 was on the ballot today, I would not vote for it again,’” Shafer said. “Hearing that from somebody who’s that far left really struck home for me.”
Advertising campaigns for the ballot measure emphasized the treatment that would be made available, downplaying the decriminalization it established. Shafer feels that misled many voters and the result is law enforcement is dealing with problems on a daily basis.
“People are no longer being forced to go to treatment by a probation officer,” he said. “Now, it’s if you want to go you can go, or you could pay a $100 fine.”
He said it is within the power of the Oregon Legislature to also create a system that could remove a crime from a person’s record if they complete mandated treatment.
