Drug policy of Oregon

Oregon ranks 4th nationally in craft breweries per capita[3]

Oregonians consume an average amount of beer and distilled spirits, and an above average amount of wine.[4] As of 2007, the consumption of spirits is on the rise, while beer consumption is holding steady.[5] Also, 11% of beer sold in Oregon was brewed in-state, the highest figure in the United States.[6]

Oregon was the first place in the United States to prohibit alcohol, prior to becoming a U.S. state in the mid-19th century. That law was quickly repealed, but Oregon again preceded the rest of the country in outlawing alcohol, passing a law several years before federal prohibition was enacted with the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.[7] Following the repeal of prohibition in 1933, Oregon acted swiftly to regulate alcohol, establishing the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) within days of the repeal. The OLCC continues to regulate alcohol in the state today.[8]

From 1999 through 2005, the ratio of Oregonians using cannabis outpaced the general United States population by 32–45%, with between 6.53% (2000) and 8.96% (2002) of the population using it.[9] In 2003–2004, Oregon ranked among the top five states for cannabis usage of people 12 and older.[10] Oregon is also one of the largest cannabis producing states, ranking fourth in indoor production, and 10th overall in 2006.[11]

In 1973, Oregon became the first U.S. state to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of cannabis,[12] and in 1998 the state legalized its use for medical purposes.[13] An attempt to recriminalize possession of small amounts of cannabis was turned down by Oregon voters in 1997.[12] In June 2010, Oregon became the first state in the country to reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule II drug when the Oregon Board of Pharmacy voted for reclassification.[14][15][16] Recreational cannabis has been legal in the state since July 2015.

In Oregon, MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine), GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyrate), ketamine, and LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) are available in varying quantities and are generally used at social venues in more populated areas and on college campuses. Club drugs enter Oregon from a variety of sources: MDMA from Canada, ketamine from Mexico, and GHB and LSD from California. Laboratory seizures indicate some local GHB and LSD production. GHB is also obtained from Internet sources. PCP and Psilocybin mushrooms are generally available in and around cities with a college student population.[17]

Cocaine is available throughout Oregon, and crack cocaine is available in some urban areas. Mexican traffickers dominate wholesale distribution, transporting the drug from Mexico, California, and other southwestern states. Retail quantities are primarily sold by Mexican drug trafficking organizations, street gangs, prison gangs, and local independent dealers. In 2007, 63.7 pounds of cocaine were seized by federal authorities,[17] up from 36.4 pounds in 2006.[18]

In the 1990s, potent and inexpensive heroin became widely available in Portland; heroin use in Multnomah County rose 600% during that decade.[19]

According to police, in 2008, heroin became more plentiful in Oregon in response to a crackdown on methamphetamine. In 2007, 115 heroin overdoses resulted in death, up 29% from 2006. In 2012 heroin was responsible for 147 deaths, and the leading cause of overdose deaths in the state.[20] The number of deaths is far below the highs of the late 1990s. Most deaths are a result of the user misgauging their tolerance.[21] Heroin is especially lethal because it depresses the central nervous system, unlike cocaine and meth which are stimulants.[22]

In Oregon, black tar heroin comes from Mexico up the Interstate 5 corridor. In 2007, 19 pounds of heroin were seized by federal authorities, more than double the amount in 2006.[22]

Methamphetamine lab incidents in Oregon, 2003–2007

Since its arrival in the early 1980s, the use of methamphetamine in Oregon has become a serious public health problem. Abuse of the methamphetamine (commonly known as "crystal meth" or simply "meth") has spread across the state and the rest of the United States.[23] The issue has been a focus of media organizations in the state,[23] and has been a focus of several political campaigns, including that of Attorney General-elect John Kroger in 2008,[24] and ballot measures such as Measures 57 and 61 in the same year.

In 2005, Governor Ted Kulongoski signed legislation[25] that made Oregon the first state to require prescriptions for cold medicines containing pseudoephedrine, one of the key ingredients used to make methamphetamine.[26] The state had previously required buyers to show ID and sign a log when buying cold medicine like Sudafed and Claritin D. The intent of the law was to reduce the number of home methamphetamine laboratories.[27] Oregon's monthly home drug lab seizures dropped from 41 to nine after the restrictions were put in place,[28] but the drug is still available, coming from Mexican labs and from other states. Meth-related deaths decreased for the first time since 2001, when 2007 deaths declined 21% from 2006 deaths.[29]

In 2007, 33 pounds of meth were seized by federal authorities,[17] down from 101.6 pounds in 2006.[18]

Illicit use of prescription drugs is the fastest growing category of illegal drug use. Treatment admissions for illicit prescription drugs increased 332% from 1998 to 2008, surpassing cocaine admissions in 2005.[1] In the United States, the primary methods of diversion of legitimate pharmaceuticals is illegal dispensing and prescribing by physicians, illegal distribution by pharmacists, prescription forgery, doctor shopping, and drug thefts from pharmacies, nursing homes, and hospitals. Pharmacy burglaries are prevalent throughout the state and Diversion Investigators are also encountering pharmaceuticals that have been purchased via the Internet without a doctor's prescription. The use and sale of oxycodone (OxyContin, Percocet, Percodan), hydrocodone (Vicodin, Lortab), and anabolic steroids are of concern to the Drug Enforcement Administration. Also, as of January 2008, methadone use has increased dramatically in the state.[17]

Oregon's Tobacco Prevention and Education Program (TPEP) was launched in 1997 to "reduce tobacco-related illness and death" by reducing exposure to secondhand smoke, countering pro-tobacco influences, helping users to quit, and eliminating health disparities.[30] As of 2020, the current tax on a pack of cigarettes is $1.33,[31] and the wholesale tax on other tobacco products is 65%.[32] House Bill 2270 was referred to voters by the legislature as Measure 108 for the 2020 general election,[33] to raise the cigarette tax to $3.33 per pack, increase a cap on cigar taxes from 50¢ to $1.00 each, and apply the wholesale tax to electronic cigarettes.[34] Measure 108 was passed by voters, signed into law and effective January 1, 2021.

Smoking in bars and similar businesses is prohibited in Oregon as of a law that took effect January 2009[35] (SB 571 of the 2007 legislature.[36]) In the late 2000s, the tobacco lobby has heavily funded the Oregon Republican Party's legislative caucuses.[37]