Washington County program to help ‘underlying causes’ of drug addiction

PORTLAND, Ore. ( KOIN ) – Washington County announced plans to create a deflection program — aiming to connect people facing substance abuse disorder with treatment rather than the criminal justice system.

In the county’s May 23 announcement, officials explained the program will serve as an alternative to criminal charges for people in possession of small amounts of street drugs.

The program stems from the recently passed House Bill 4002 , a bill that rolled back voter-approved Measure 110 and gives counties guidelines for creating their own deflection programs.

Under the bill, signed by Gov. Tina Kotek in April , possession of small amounts of street drugs will be an unclassified misdemeanor starting Sept. 1, 2024.

Part of the bill, known as the Oregon Behavioral Health Deflection Program , supports collaboration between law enforcement and behavioral health organizations to help people who may have substance use disorder or other untreated behavioral health disorders.

In Washington County, leaders including county commissioners, District Attorney Kevin Barton, and Sheriff Caprice Massey are working together to create the program.

Washington County will receive over $1.3 million by fall 2024 to hire staff to coordinate services and manage the program.

“This is an exciting opportunity to align new resources with a range of existing services that can address the underlying causes of substance use disorder, deflect people away from entering the criminal justice system and most importantly, save lives,” Washington County Board Chair Kathryn Harrington said.

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