|
Cause ... meet affect – the dichotomy of a drug crisis
Reading recent news coverage, the irony was not lost on me that two major headlines were a perfect overview of one of our major issues in our state – the drug crisis. Reuters ran an article over the weekend titled “Hard hit by the US opioid crisis, Oregon reconsiders decriminalization” -- discussing the 2020 decision to pass the most “liberal drug law in the country”, decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of illicit drugs.
The other headline discusses that “Some Multnomah County commissioners are 'alarmed' at what's been done two weeks into the 90-day fentanyl emergency” -- discussing the lack of action being taken to address local suffering and diminishing quality of life in the Portland area.
According to federal reports, yearly fentanyl overdose deaths in Oregon grew by a staggering 1,500% since before the pandemic, by far the largest increase in the United States.
Kettle meet pot.. cause meet affect.
When it comes to solving problems, what Oregon is doing on our drug crisis is not working .. for anyone. Residents and communities are deeply affected by the crisis in every way from rising crime, unsafe streets and more. But even the harm reduction community is suffering. The very people they were hoping to “help” through decriminalization, are dying at an increased rate than ever before.
Instead of creating very real solutions for our communities such as mandated rehabilitation, holding bad actors accountable and ensuring quality of life standards, we are currently failing Oregonians at every level by legalizing human suffering. More to come on this topic, stay tuned.
Oregon is currently getting an F
Reports are showing that our nation’s children are (slowly) coming back from the educational setbacks forced upon them from the COVID lockdowns … except Oregon. In a recent study, researchers found that Oregon students have failed to regain either reading or math skills – while other states studied were on the rebound.
Which begs the question, why is our Legislature not focusing on this very real problem, but rather focusing on hyper partisan issues such as hiding children’s health decisions from their parents?
Our Legislature should focus on ensuring our education system is setting our kids up for success through core programs such as reading, science, math or teaching them a trade. Our school’s first role is to educate, and currently our schools are getting
an F.
This falls under my priority to tackle issues that will make Oregonians’ lives better. Our #1 priority needs to be ensuring our education system is working for our future generations, not pursuing cheap political points on the backs of our students. If our state discusses anything moving forward regarding our schools, this issue should be it. Period.
I want to hear from you!
As I continue to fight for issues on behalf of our residents, I want to hear directly from you about the issues you care about most. Please take a couple minutes to fill out this community survey so we can continue to educate and advocate on issues important to our communities. Thank you in advance for your feedback!
As always, thank you for your continued support.
Sincerely,
State Senator Daniel Bonham
Oregon Senate District 26
www.oregonlegislature.gov/bonham
Click Here to Subscribe to Senator Daniel Bonham's E-Newsletter.
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1726
Capitol Address: 900 Court St NE, S-423, Salem, OR, 97301
Email: Sen.DanielBonham@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bonham
|
