The Life of OR Measure 110: Evolution, Implementation, and Impact

Authors

Matthew D. Albertson, Portland State UniversityFollow

Subjects

Drug abuse -- Treatment -- Oregon, Drug control -- Government policy, Drug decriminalization -- Oregon, Drugs -- Law and legislation -- Oregon

Abstract

In 2020, Oregon voters approved Measure 110, a groundbreaking policy that decriminalized possession of small quantities of controlled substances and redirected cannabis tax revenues to treatment and recovery centers. This article examines the passage, implementation, and rollback of Measure 110 with HB 4002, enacted in 2024. Drawing on state audits, legislative records, and public health data to contextualize Measure 110 within broader debates on public health, criminal justice reform, and policy-making, Albertson analyzes the progressive policy’s aspirational, reform-minded goals and the practical shortcomings in its enactment. Albertson argues that while Measure 110 has faced justified criticism and partial reversal, it remains a pivotal case study in state-level experimentation with decriminalization, underscoring the importance of implementation infrastructure, cross-sector collaboration, and political communication in drafting and sustaining transformative public policy.

DOI

10.15760/anthos.2025.14.1.4

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/43925

Recommended Citation

Albertson, Matthew D. (2025) "The Life of OR Measure 110: Evolution, Implementation, and Impact," Anthós: Vol. 14: Iss. 1, Article 4.
https://doi.org/10.15760/anthos.2025.14.1.4