Multnomah County intends to provide more support for drug users as the number of opioid overdoses in Oregon has increased over the past five years.
More than a thousand overdose deaths and 9,000 emergency room visits are reported by the Oregon Health Authority for only 2021.
Counties all around the nation have started using ostensibly “harm reduction” strategies to assist address this. Harm reduction, according to the CDC, is a public health strategy to lessen the risks associated with drug use, such as infectious infections and overdoses.
The strategy may involve dispensing sterilized syringes, fentanyl testing strips, and the overdose drug Naloxone. Offering harm-reduction products, according to organizations like the CDC and Johns Hopkins, helps connect consumers to care and treatment facilities.
Multnomah County to Provide Smoking Supplies to Reduce Harm from Drug Use
Multnomah County has been dispensing syringes and providing testing for HIV and other STDs since 2019. The county reports that while syringe use has significantly decreased recently, smoking and snorting have increased.
Multnomah County will now provide smoking supplies to bridge the gap between people who inject narcotics and those who smoke.
The county says, “offering these supplies does not mean people will start using substances. Syringe access does not mean that people will start injecting, just as offering condoms does not encourage young people to start having s*x.”
Portland resident DJ, who uses drugs, admitted, “I get emotional when I talk about things that are near and dear to my heart. I admit it with no pride, but I’m a user.
He supports Multnomah County increasing resources for users, along with a number of other residents of the street who FOX 12 spoke with.
“I think it’s amazing that we can look past our traumas to help them through theirs,” Curtis Bear Cub, a recovering addict, said.
“Portland has people who actually care. Who really, really care,” DJ added.
The tweet below confirms the news:
Multnomah County, Oregon is planning on offering additional resources for people who use drugs as opioid overdoses in Oregon have been on the rise for the last five years. https://t.co/08pWtuWazL
— WPSD Local 6 (@WPSDLocal6) July 9, 2023
Bear Cub was questioned by FOX 12 about his opinion on the drug epidemic in the streets.
“No,” he replied. “I think there’s a compassion problem. Seems I recognize in other people what I see in myself. So, what I’d say to people in recovery is just keep trying.”
By providing the users with the accessories, the county aims to inspire them to look for further resources.
“I don’t want to be out on the streets,” said a man who goes by ‘G.’ “Last time I was out on the streets, I went to prison. Some people choose to be out on the street, though. When you ask them, they choose to be that way.”
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G claimed that despite his best attempts, he ended up back on the streets and that he is “just a little depressed right now.”
G acknowledges Portland’s resources, but thinks more can be done. He supports the county’s harm reduction strategy.
DJ, meanwhile, noted that because life on the streets is difficult, he is simply grateful for any support he may receive.
He cried as he stated, “I love all of you guys,” to those who had assisted him.
According to the county, the change to incorporate these medicinal supplies started this week.
In the meantime, Mayor Ted Wheeler stated in a tweet that he vehemently opposes the distribution of accessories to promote a narcotic that causes 190 overdoses per day in the US.
Wheeler’s sentiment was echoed on Saturday by City Commissioner Rene Gonzalez, who wrote on Twitter that “little to no consideration is given to the impact on the surrounding community as long as an initiative is centered on the “client” – the homeless, the criminal, or the addict.”
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