71 people were referred for removal in the month since drug re-criminalization, Mult. Co. says

PORTLAND, Ore. – In the month since Oregon decriminalized drugs, 71 people have been deemed eligible for Multnomah County's new drug enforcement program, Multnomah County reported Friday.

On September 1, Oregon again made carrying a small amount of illegal drugs a misdemeanor, largely due to the fallout and controversy surrounding Measure 110, approved by voters in 2020. If arrested for possession, offenders could be charged with a misdemeanor and sent to prison.

However, the legislature provided all counties with the option of granting eligible individuals a parole in lieu of a prison sentence.

Ryan Yambra, a spokesman for Multnomah County, says the number of people who qualified for and accepted the rejection is slightly higher than program coordinators expected.

“I think there was, we weren’t sure what the river was going to look like. I think everyone has learned over time how many people may be eligible for, and willing to choose, diversion. So that's a lesson, and it is. “I will inform how the program is implemented in the future,” he said during an interview with KATU News on Friday.

According to Yambra, the Portland Police Bureau reports that about 40% of people arrested for drug possession qualify for and accept dismissal. He says it's too early to tell how many people have successfully completed the diversion.

RUNNING COVERAGE | KATU tracks the decriminalization of drug possession and the development of diversion programs in Oregon

In Multnomah County, people who choose diversion have 30 days to access these services. If the services are not used within 30 days, there is no right to redirection for the following 30 days. If they are stopped by law enforcement again for the same reason within the 30-day suspension period, they may be arrested.

“At this point, the county is just starting to hear about the first people who were turned away 30 days ago, so that's around September 3rd or 4th, just a few days after the rejections began. “It's only a handful of people who have either completed or not yet completed diversion,” Yambra said. “As this program rolls out in the coming weeks, this information will become much more meaningful.”

The Criminal Justice Commission, in collaboration with OHSU, has developed a series of questions that diversion providers across the state must respond to. The data is entered into a dashboard that is used to produce regular reports to lawmakers who must make decisions about continued funding for the programs and whether they will establish mandatory best practices for the programs in the future.

Yambra said the county is preparing to open the doors of its Deflection Center in Buckman Township by the end of October. He said the center will not initially offer medication-assisted drug treatment, but is expected to do so in the following months. The county is also working on a permanent sobering center that will offer detoxification services over the course of a few days. The current diversion center location is not coded for stays longer than 24 hours.

The county is still negotiating a good neighbor agreement with Buckman neighborhood residents and businesses concerned about the center's impact.

KATU's Christina Giardinelli spoke with Ryan Yambra about the defection data. You can watch the full interview below.

While the diversion center's opening was delayed in late August due to hiring difficulties, Yambra said Tuerk House, the Baltimore-based nonprofit that will operate the center, has made progress in that regard.

While the county health department waited for the center to open, it began sending mobile workers to contact eligible individuals stopped by law enforcement under the new law.

Professional peer and behavioral health workers from 4-D Recovery, the Promoting Access to Hope (PATH) team, Volunteers of America and Tuerk House respond to calls from law enforcement and refer individuals eligible for diversion to services.

SEE ALSO: The first day of Oregon's new drug laws brings arrests and diversions

Tony Vezina, co-founder and CEO of 4-D Recovery, said in a news release that he sees progress daily as outreach teams connect with people seeking treatment. He believes peer outreach will help bring more people into recovery and improve safety and quality of life in the community.

“In six months, the public will have a better understanding of the successes achieved and the number of people seeking treatment,” Vezina’s written statement said. “Help is coming. Things are changing. Services will be expanded.”

According to Multnomah County, of the 71 people who participated in the program, outreach workers made a total of 136 referrals to social services, including withdrawal services, detoxification treatment, inpatient and outpatient treatment, mental health services, medical care, housing or emergency housing provided by Peer services and recovery support are provided.

“Multnomah County’s diversion program, unlike the criminal justice system, can quickly connect individuals with critical stabilization services and peer support to assist them on the long road to recovery,” wrote Grant Hartley, Multnomah County director of Metropolitan Public Defender. “It provides support and compassion as an alternative to incarceration to motivate individuals to engage in treatment and other services.”