Addiction
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Southern Oregon’s fentanyl crisis leaves local couple grappling with loss
Josh Wallner-Sentle's death was one of over 100 fatal overdoses in Jackson County last year. Many involved fentanyl, a highly addictive and powerful synthetic opioid that can be mixed into other drugs.
Oregon governor will sign bill to recriminalize drugs, expand treatment
There was little question about whether Gov. Tina Kotek would sign House Bill 4002, which overwhelmingly passed the Legislature last week. The governor’s announcement that she would sign the bill late Thursday brings certainty to the reality that Oregon’s drug decriminalization experiment is over.
Washington state lawmakers advance a bill to provide relief as opioids scourge devastates tribes
A bill that would bring millions of dollars to tribes in Washington state to address the opioid crisis has received unanimous support in the House
Oregon’s drug recriminalization bill sails through key committee, heads for House vote
Oregon's bill to recriminalize illicit drug use sailed through a joint committee that was tasked with addressing the state's addiction crisis.
Will a multimillion-dollar bill in Washington state help battle tribal opioid crisis?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports Native Americans and Alaska Natives in Washington state die of opioid overdoses at five times the state average.
In rural Oregon, close community ties could make proposed addiction programs successful
Rural communities have close ties that could aid the work to set up complicated programs to address drug addiction, lawmakers heard Monday.
As drug criminalization debate rages, Oregon lawmakers consider creating a new misdemeanor
Democrats and Republicans are seeing whether they can find a compromise over what kinds of consequences drug users might face.
Medford harm reduction group courts controversy while saving lives
Melissa Jones with Stabbin’ Wagon, a nonprofit providing clean syringes and naloxone, was arrested for trespassing a local park while helping people experiencing homelessness.
Sports betting surges in Oregon, as expert caution risks of digital gambling
It’s a new, lucrative revenue stream for a state heavily reliant on Lottery dollars, but critics argue it’s hooking a younger generation on a particularly dangerous form of gambling.
What Oregon’s drug crisis looks like on the streets of Portland: Overdoses every day
State legislators will spend much of the next month debating whether to scrap Measure 110, Oregon's voter-approved effort at drug decriminalization. Their decision will directly impact the first responders who deal with drug addiction on the streets of Portland. But has decriminalization caused the spike in overdoses and public use, or has it simply made the crisis impossible to ignore?