Sen. Reynolds to explain her defense of needle handouts
State legislator to appear at virtual meeting March 25
Oregon Sen. Lisa Reynolds will have an opportunity to explain her blackballing of an effort to regulate the distribution of needles and drug paraphernalia near schools, but it may not be the opportunity she hoped for.
Northwest District Association President Todd Zarnitz announced a virtual meeting Wednesday, March 25, 6-7 p.m. Visit: northwestdistrictassociation.org/calendar for a link.
“Neighbors via Stadiumhood worked with several Oregon legislators on a straightforward, common-sense bill (SB 1573) to keep drug paraphernalia distribution away from our school zones,” Zarnitz wrote. “Yet, shockingly, our own state senator, Lisa Reynolds, unilaterally blocked the bill from advancing.”
The meeting on Wednesday “will be one of our few opportunities to get a better understanding of the frustrating political landscape we are navigating,” he said.
The senator will also provide “a brief overview of her priorities” for the next legislative session.
Last month, Reynolds defended her handling of the bill on her official website.
“I totally understand that the community is frustrated,” she wrote. “I did try to find a compromise, and we could not come to agreement.”
Reynolds claimed the bill would have put health care at risk by threatening harm-reduction activities that reduce disease transmission and overdose deaths.
In statements to the news media, she claimed proponents of the bill refused all compromises. However, representatives of Stadiumhood Neighbors said they were willing to compromise (on whether the handouts must be 1,000 or 2,000 feet from schools, for instance) but Reynolds would not talk to them.
As a result, Northwest District resident Autumn Sharp filed to run for Reynolds’ District 17 seat on a simple premise: “If I lied to the public and then hid in my office, I’d get fired,” she said.