ACT NOW: Police and jails can’t solve addiction

Act Now

Take action for safe and just communities

We all agree that state leaders must take swift action to address drug addiction and homelessness with real solutions.

However, an interest group funded by billionaires and led by a former prison system chief is pressuring lawmakers to criminalize possession of small amounts of drugs, viewing police and jails as the way to address drug addiction. Supporters of this approach are pushing for criminalization of not just adults but youth too.

Police and jails make drug addiction and homelessness more difficult and expensive to solve. The criminal system – which costs billions of tax dollars every year – causes trauma, increases the risk of overdose deaths, and creates formidable obstacles to treatment, housing, education, and jobs. Jails simply cycle people in and out. They don’t solve addiction or keep homeless people off the streets.

Moreover, the racism entrenched in the criminal system disproportionately locks up people of color, especially Black people. No one can deny that the war on drugs decimated Black and brown communities.

Criminalizing addiction simply punishes our most vulnerable communities who have the least access to money and health resources. When our state barely meets 50% of treatment needs, diverting limited tax dollars away from real solutions to the ineffective, exorbitantly expensive tactic of criminalization is wasteful, irresponsible, and inhumane.

Everyday people and Oregonians agree that we need to address the root causes of drug addiction and homelessness by:

— increasing addiction treatment with recovery housing;

— expanding affordable housing and reducing poverty;

— create more safe and accessible shelters and other short-term housing options;

— supporting work programs for trash clean-up and neighborhood revitalization efforts; and

— sending crisis counselors, instead of police, to respond to people having mental health or addiction crises.

Take action now — tell your legislators: Oregon must stop repeating failed, racist policies that make drug addiction and homelessness more difficult and expensive to solve. Real solutions now!

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Your Message
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Dear Oregon Lawmakers,

I urge you to stay focused on evidence-based, health-focused solutions to addiction — not criminalization.

We need to swiftly address the drug addiction and homelessness crises across Oregon. But we can’t give into fear-mongering and revert to cruel, ineffective, and enormously expensive tactics.

Police and jails make drug addiction and homelessness more difficult and expensive to solve.

We cannot arrest ourselves out of Oregon’s addiction crisis. We tried this before for fifty years – with billions of dollars – and it didn’t work and instead made things worse. Why?

The criminal system causes trauma, increases the risk of overdose deaths, and creates formidable obstacles to treatment, housing, education, and jobs. Indeed, jails simply cycle people in and out. They don’t solve addiction or keep homeless people off the streets.

The racism entrenched in the criminal system disproportionately locks up people of color, especially Black people. No one can deny that the war on drugs decimated Black and brown communities.

Criminalizing addiction simply punishes our most vulnerable communities who have the least access to money and health resources. When our state barely meets 50% of treatment needs, diverting limited tax dollars away from solutions to the the ineffective, exorbitantly expensive tactic of criminalization is wasteful, irresponsible, inhumane.

Everyday people and Oregonians agree that we need to address the root causes of drug addiction and homelessness. Real solutions are: increasing addiction treatment with recovery housing; expanding affordable housing and reducing poverty; creating more safe and accessible shelters and other short-term housing options; supporting work programs for trash clean-up and neighborhood revitalization efforts; and sending crisis counselors, instead of police, to respond to people having mental health or addiction crises.

Oregon must stop repeating failed, racist policies that make drug addiction and homelessness more difficult and expensive to solve. The future of our state depends on it.

As your constituent, I am counting on you to lead with evidence-based health policies and Oregon values, not fear and stigma. Please focus on strengthening Measure 110, increasing access to voluntary treatment, expanding non-police crisis counselors, and funding neighborhood trash clean-up efforts.

Sincerely,

[First Name] [Last Name]