2021 Annual Conference Quick Take: Advancing Health and Equity with Ballot Measures: Oregon’s Drug Decriminalization and Addiction Treatment Initiative

In the November 2020 election, Oregon voters overwhelmingly approved Measure 110, a ballot initiative that made it the first state in the nation to eliminate criminal penalties for the possession of small amounts of drugs while greatly increasing funding and access to treatment, recovery, and harm reduction services. This landmark policy change represents not only a significant shift away from the criminalization of drug use disproportionately harming communities of color, but also offers a tremendous learning opportunity on how ballot initiatives can be used to advance far-reaching health and equity goals. Listen to this Quick Take to hear more about decriminalization as an essential component to treating drug use as a health issue, the historic campaign that brought this policy to life, and the vision for what comes next.

This session was designed by Grantmakers In Health and supported by Open Society Foundations.