Oregon’s Drug Decriminalization: Did Crime Increase?

When Oregonians voted in 2020 for Measure 110, which decriminalized the possession of small amounts of drugs, they were not rejecting public safety. Rather, they opted for an audacious, humane shift: treating drug use as a public-health concern rather than a criminal one. The question since has loomed large: did that pivot inadvertently lead to more crime or overdoses?

A powerful new study¹ by Portland State University’s Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice sheds critical light on this debate. In partnership with the National Institute of Justice, researchers examined the impacts of a decade-long sequence of drug-policy reforms, from 2013’s “justice reinvestment” move to reduce cannabis sentencing, through Oregon’s 2017 “defelonization” of certain drug felonies, all the way to Measure 110’s full decriminalization in 2021. The verdict? There is little evidence that decriminalization drove crime or overdose deaths. Instead, it was the seismic disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic and the flood of fentanyl that reshaped Oregon’s public safety profile.

An Overview of the Policy Changes

• Justice Reinvestment (2013): By lowering mandatory minimums for cannabis and diverting low-level drug offenders into probation, Oregon began softening the criminal justice system’s approach.
• Defelonization (2017): Possession of moderate amounts of Schedule I and II drugs (i.e. heroin, cocaine) was downgraded from felony to misdemeanor status.
• Measure 110 (2021): A transformative step: small-scale drug possession became a civil violation subject to a fine and offered an alternative path to addiction services.

What the Portland State University Study Reveals

Despite rhetoric to the contrary, the researchers found that Measure 110 did not cause the spike in crime or drug deaths. Trends in crime and overdoses had already been moving upward before decriminalization took effect. In fact, COVID-19 proved a far greater disruptor. It derailed court systems, altered law enforcement practices, and skewed crime statistics in erratic ways.

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By 2020, overdose deaths in Oregon had risen to 816, about 200 more than the year before. Alarmingly, deaths more than doubled by 2023, reaching 1,833. It was only in 2024 that fatalities fell to 1,480, even as debates raged over Measure 110’s future. Researchers solidified that fentanyl was the real driver behind the alarming rise in overdose fatalities through 2023.

“The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the justice system the most,” said Brian Renauer, one of the lead researchers. He emphasized that the dramatic shifts we observed were far more pandemic-related than legislative. Indeed, by 2023 and into 2024, many indicators, such as drug arrests, charges, crime rates, were either trending downward or stabilizing at relatively low levels. Meanwhile, overdose fatalities had already started to decline.

Why Oregon’s Drug Decriminalization Debate Matters

Busting Myths with Evidence

For advocates of rational drug policies, these findings are profound. In the face of sensational media narratives, the PSU study refuses to play into fear. Instead, it offers a conclusion: decriminalization did not ignite a surge in crime or overdose deaths. Rather, it occurred against the backdrop of global public health and humanitarian crises.

Upholding Public Health Over Punishment

The era of criminalizing addiction has long failed. It disproportionately harmed marginalized communities without reducing harm. A shift toward treating addiction as a health matter, offering help, not handcuffs, remains not just idealistic, but vital. The PSU findings show that such an approach did not imperil public safety.

Tackling the Real Enemy: Fentanyl and Pandemic Fallout

Oregon’s overdose surge wasn’t legislative in origin. It was pandemic-born and fueled by fentanyl. That means the remedy must be more robust public-health responses, addiction services, and crisis preparedness, not punitive policy reversals.

The Power of Evidence-Based Advocacy

When laws are driven by fear, rather than data, society often pays the price. This study exemplifies how rigorous research can dispel fiction and guide compassionate, effective policy. Decisions must be rooted in facts, not headlines.

The Future of Oregon Drug Policy

The study verifies what advocates have been saying all along: there is no causal link found between Oregon’s drug decriminalization and rises in crime or overdoses. The pandemic disrupted justice systems more than any legislation did and the fentanyl crisis, and broader drug supply shifts, were the true catalysts behind the overdose spike.

As overdose deaths begin to recede, policymakers must focus on enhancing treatment, prevention, and public health infrastructure, not rolling back reforms that weren’t the cause in the first place.

Oregon’s experiment with compassion-driven policy deserves support. Crime and overdose deaths demand serious, evidence-backed solutions, and bold reforms like Measure 110 remain among the most promising paths forward when executed with integrity and resources.

References:

^{1. Henderson, K. S., Campbell, C. M., & Renauer, B. C. (2024). Examining the multifaceted impacts of drug decriminalization on public safety, law enforcement, and prosecutorial discretion. Portland State University. PDXScholar. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/ccj_fac/128}