Oregon’s new drug penalties would mean surge in convictions, jail stints, state estimates suggest

By Conrad Wilson (OPB) and Dirk VanderHart (OPB)
March 4, 2024 7:11 p.m.

State estimates show 1,333 people will be convicted of drug possession and 533 could go to jail every year under House Bill 4002. The numbers suggest that the system Oregon lawmakers envisioned to replace Measure 110 — in which drug users can avoid criminal consequences through treatment — will only go so far.