Seems to me city could establish drug-free zones prohibiting use or sale of drugs, or distribution of supplies for drug use, within 1,000 feet of schools etc.
We have asked the city. They told us that they couldn't act because of the state law (or lack thereof). They told us the only thing they could do is issue a citation for not having a permit.
Reynolds is not being honest. The group - which was supported by Rep. Drazan who worked with the community the whole way - was very happy to compromise on the bill as stated. Drazan communicated this. And still Reynolds still killed it. I am stunned and pissed with Reynold's dishonesty. Personally, I think she wants to re-introduce the bill on her own to take the credit. The whole thing is political with the neighborhood and children paying the price. It stinks to high heaven.
I can corroborate this. I am one of the people working on this bill with Drazan's support. We weren't happy about compromising, but we accepted Reynold's amendments. Then, Reynolds still killed the bill.
In the news story on Fox, Reynolds claimed that we wouldn't accept her amendments. That is factually not true. We accepted them the night before the work session. We woke up the next morning excited to see what would happen with the bill. Later that day, we found out that Reynolds refused to move the bill forward out of her own committee, which in effect, killed the bill.
Allan, just to clarify that the 3 primary sponsors were Drazan, Edwards and Anderson, with Isadore as co-sponsor. Reynolds chairs the committee from which it was assigned.
Might be a naïve question, but has anyone asked PPOP to stop distributing supplies within one or two blocks of a school? If so, has PPOP refused? Have they tried working with the Multnomah County Health Department to identify safer locations for distribution? It seems to me that these sites should be managed by the county health department.
We've testified at the city and county multiple times. We led a tour through Stadiumhood with Jessica Vega Pederson and other officials -- even a rep from Kotek's office. We had meetings with PPOP. I wrote to the attorney general way back in September of 2024.
Everyone seems determined to protect bodily autonomy of users and they push false claims about disease control. We are tracing funding sources. What are we missing?
Oh wait, I remember. I am missing my neighbors who moved out of Stadiumhood...the small businesses that keep shuttering. We are missing our tax base from a few years ago.
Perhaps a better solution would have been a state bill allowing county health departments to create county specific rules regulating distribution of needle and drug paraphernalia products. Personally, I think there is a role for harm reduction but it should be managed by county health department employees, not volunteers. Another solution is for Portland to start arresting people for possession and use of illegal drugs. The city knows where the users are using, they could start making arrests if they wanted to. It's possible the city, county, and state leaders don't really want to change the status quo regardless of what they say publicly. I would have never thought I would suggest this, but perhaps Oregon needs to elect Christine Drazen as Governor.
Not only should this bill have passed but the state should pass legislation banning distribution of needles and drug paraphernalia. Those activities were prohibited for good reason prior to there legalization by the state legislature in 1989. They have led to thousands of deaths from overdose in Portland. The public health community here should recognize this mistake, which was not based on science to justify policies that normalized drug use and handed out dangerousness needles and paraphernalia who are severely ill. It has also contributed to the plummeting commercial real estate prices, plummeting housing prices in the areas afflicted with the severely mentally ill homeless, made it dangerous to walk in Portland, or for kids to run around in parks or other public places. I believe this issue is a key issue in what has been going on in Portland with the severely mentally ill homeless and people's deference to the public health establishment and the medical profession which has largely endorsed politically motivated policies that make no common sense. It is wrong to give people needles to shoot up drugs. You are giving them the tools of their own destruction, and they see it is as an endorsement of their behavior. It is absolutely essential for the state and county to stop passing out needles and drug paraphernalia.
Lisa Reynolds is a coward. Why are we continually taking steps backwards?
Time to replace her
How about a city ordinance?
The city can cite PPOP for not getting a permit.
But according to Anne Hill of PEMO, the only punishment for not getting a permit is telling PPOP that they are not in compliance.
Seems to me city could establish drug-free zones prohibiting use or sale of drugs, or distribution of supplies for drug use, within 1,000 feet of schools etc.
We have asked the city. They told us that they couldn't act because of the state law (or lack thereof). They told us the only thing they could do is issue a citation for not having a permit.
I can understand wanting to tweak the details, but we really can’t unite behind some minimum distance from schools for handing out needles?
Something other than common sense has prevailed here.
Has anybody asked her why she withdrew the bill? Or if she plans to reintroduce it? Maybe a journalist?
Pete Ferryman tried to interview her. She refused.
See this news story: https://www.kptv.com/2026/02/26/northwest-portland-neighbors-frustrated-after-needle-exchange-bill-dies/
Wow. And double wow. What a weasel. Thanks for sharing this link.
Reynolds is not being honest. The group - which was supported by Rep. Drazan who worked with the community the whole way - was very happy to compromise on the bill as stated. Drazan communicated this. And still Reynolds still killed it. I am stunned and pissed with Reynold's dishonesty. Personally, I think she wants to re-introduce the bill on her own to take the credit. The whole thing is political with the neighborhood and children paying the price. It stinks to high heaven.
I can corroborate this. I am one of the people working on this bill with Drazan's support. We weren't happy about compromising, but we accepted Reynold's amendments. Then, Reynolds still killed the bill.
In the news story on Fox, Reynolds claimed that we wouldn't accept her amendments. That is factually not true. We accepted them the night before the work session. We woke up the next morning excited to see what would happen with the bill. Later that day, we found out that Reynolds refused to move the bill forward out of her own committee, which in effect, killed the bill.
Allan, just to clarify that the 3 primary sponsors were Drazan, Edwards and Anderson, with Isadore as co-sponsor. Reynolds chairs the committee from which it was assigned.
Occasionally, the entities that actually run the state surface from their miasma.
Might be a naïve question, but has anyone asked PPOP to stop distributing supplies within one or two blocks of a school? If so, has PPOP refused? Have they tried working with the Multnomah County Health Department to identify safer locations for distribution? It seems to me that these sites should be managed by the county health department.
We've testified at the city and county multiple times. We led a tour through Stadiumhood with Jessica Vega Pederson and other officials -- even a rep from Kotek's office. We had meetings with PPOP. I wrote to the attorney general way back in September of 2024.
Everyone seems determined to protect bodily autonomy of users and they push false claims about disease control. We are tracing funding sources. What are we missing?
Oh wait, I remember. I am missing my neighbors who moved out of Stadiumhood...the small businesses that keep shuttering. We are missing our tax base from a few years ago.
We are missing COMMON SENSE!!!
Perhaps a better solution would have been a state bill allowing county health departments to create county specific rules regulating distribution of needle and drug paraphernalia products. Personally, I think there is a role for harm reduction but it should be managed by county health department employees, not volunteers. Another solution is for Portland to start arresting people for possession and use of illegal drugs. The city knows where the users are using, they could start making arrests if they wanted to. It's possible the city, county, and state leaders don't really want to change the status quo regardless of what they say publicly. I would have never thought I would suggest this, but perhaps Oregon needs to elect Christine Drazen as Governor.
We tried that too. Look at HB 3956. It didn't get a single sponsor, other than Drazan in the 2025 session.
We are not against harm reduction. We want it to be regulated.
https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2025R1/Measures/Overview/HB3956
We contacted PPOP via email and phone for MONTHS. They flat out ignored us, not answering emails or phone calls.
Even when we talked to them in person, they claimed:
1) not to be in school zone
2) focused on their clients, and not on neighborhood impacts
Not only should this bill have passed but the state should pass legislation banning distribution of needles and drug paraphernalia. Those activities were prohibited for good reason prior to there legalization by the state legislature in 1989. They have led to thousands of deaths from overdose in Portland. The public health community here should recognize this mistake, which was not based on science to justify policies that normalized drug use and handed out dangerousness needles and paraphernalia who are severely ill. It has also contributed to the plummeting commercial real estate prices, plummeting housing prices in the areas afflicted with the severely mentally ill homeless, made it dangerous to walk in Portland, or for kids to run around in parks or other public places. I believe this issue is a key issue in what has been going on in Portland with the severely mentally ill homeless and people's deference to the public health establishment and the medical profession which has largely endorsed politically motivated policies that make no common sense. It is wrong to give people needles to shoot up drugs. You are giving them the tools of their own destruction, and they see it is as an endorsement of their behavior. It is absolutely essential for the state and county to stop passing out needles and drug paraphernalia.