Oregon state leaders declared a 90-day state emergency in Portland as the city grapples with a deadly fentanyl crisis.
On Wednesday, Gov. Tina Kotek (D-ORE.), Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Peterson, and Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler announced the state of emergency to address the public health and safety crisis in Portland as fentanyl is being funneled into the city, causing overdoses, deaths and, fear.
"Our country and our state have never seen a drug this deadly and addictive, and all are grappling with how to respond," Kotek said in a statement. "The Chair, the Mayor, and I recognize the need to act with urgency and unity across our public health and community safety systems to make a dent in this crisis. We are all in this together. The next 90 days will yield unprecedented collaboration and focused resources targeting fentanyl and provide a roadmap for the next steps."
In 2020, the state voted to pass Measure 110, which decriminalized the use of several hard drugs, including fentanyl. According to data, fentanyl deaths have increased from 280 in 2019 to 956 in 2022.
According to DHM Research, more than 60 percent of Oregon residents believe the bill that was passed "made drug addiction, homelessness, and crime worse,"
The emergency order will allow the state to allocate resources to respond to the crisis. It also includes two public health campaigns and increased outreach such as billboards, transit, and digital media to get people into treatment, recovery, and housing services.
Oregon House Republican Leader Jeff Helfrich told the Daily Caller that the issue has gotten "out of control" following GOP leaders who warned the state that decriminalizing drugs would only make the crisis worse.
Thanks to President Joe Biden's border crisis, millions of American lives have been taken as his open-door policies allow fentanyl to roll right into the U.S., killing innocent lives daily.
In 2023 alone, Border Patrol agents seized enough fentanyl to kill every American in the country.
Over 2,700 pounds of fentanyl, not including the amount seized at ports of entry, were seized during the fiscal year. Due to Biden's lax border policies, illegal migrants have easily smuggled fentanyl over the border with no issue. Several Republicans have called for military action in Mexico to put an end to drug labs being run by dangerous cartels.