Jackson County Commissioners call on state lawmakers to repeal Measure 110

JACKSON COUNTY, Ore. – The Jackson County Commissioners are calling on state legislators to repeal Measure 110.

Oregon became the first state to decriminalize personal possession of many illegal drugs when Measure 110 was passed in 2020.

It was intended to address the nation’s substance abuse crisis.

But according to the Jackson County Commissioners, that hasn’t happened, and they say things have actually gotten worse.

In a proclamation that they issued on Wednesday, the commissioners asked state legislators to repeal the controversial measure, saying that it’s hard to ignore the facts.

The proclamation cites an increase in overdose deaths, which has more than doubled in the state from 2019, the year before the measure was passed, through 2021.

“The concept was a failure in my opinion, and again the implementation,” Jackson County Commissioner Rick Dyer said. “None of it worked. It just did the opposite of what it was intended to do.”

Dyer said the City of Medford is also looking at issuing a similar resolution along with other city councils in Jackson County.

If the state does not want to repeal the measure, Dyer said he believes the measure should at least be put back on the ballot so that the voters can decide.