MultCo’s Fentanyl Kit Policy Sparks Calls for Portland to Leave Joint Office

Following the announcement of a harm reduction program to provide tin foil, straws, and smoking accessories to individuals struggling with fentanyl addiction, the Multnomah County Health Department has recently come under fire.

The distribution of the goods was announced by municipal authorities in a PowerPoint presentation in late June, according to spokeswoman Sarah Dean, who verified this to KOIN 6 News. Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson announced the county was reversing the idea on July 10 in response to criticism, claiming the health department had moved forward with the proposal without “proper implementation protocols.”

The tweet below verifies the news:

“I agree with the mayor, it’s just totally contrary to what the city is trying to accomplish and so why should the city be spending $40 million a year on that?”https://t.co/5hJM1fmbnz

— KOIN News (@KOINNews) July 16, 2023

Lawsuit Alleges City’s Homeless Tents Violate ADA

The decision also prompted a demand to end financial support provided by the City of Portland to Multnomah County’s Joint Office of Homeless Services. Prior to ultimately allocating more than $43 million for the office and agreeing to review the arrangement in December, Portland briefly pondered leaving.

“They should pull out because the Joint Office of Homeless Services is run by the county. The City of Portland has very little to say about the policy that the Joint Office pursues,” said Portland attorney John DiLorenzo of Davis, Wright, Tremaine.

DiLorenzo also filed a complaint against the city, alleging that the tents and tarps it provided to those who were homeless infringed on the Americans with Disabilities Act by obstructing pedestrian access.

“One of the things we discovered during our last case about the sidewalks and people with disabilities is that the county is on a completely different path than the city. In fact, we didn’t know whether to laugh or cry when we discovered that it was the county that spent $2 million — taxpayer money — to put 10,000 tents and 60,000 tarps out on the sidewalks, which we then have to sue the city to clean up and that the city was spending $8 million right then and there to clean them up.”

For more news from FocusHillsboro, click on the following links:

• Avelo Airlines Launches Service to Salem, Oregon, with Fares from $39
• At the Oregon Coast, a Cougar Was Seen at Haystack Rock, and Cannon Beach Was Stopped

Lawyer Questions Fentanyl Kit Policy

DiLorenzo believes that by dispensing drug paraphernalia, the city would encourage drug addiction and claims that the health department’s effort wouldn’t help with harm reduction.

“I agree with the mayor, it’s just totally contrary to what the city is trying to accomplish and so why should the city be spending $40 million a year on that?” DiLorenzo questioned. “I don’t believe in handing out free needles either but at least you can justify that based on a policy of attempting to prevent the spread of Hepatitis A or Hepatitis B. You tell me, what harm passing out free tin foil and straws to facilitate the smoking of fentanyl is going to prevent,”

Multnomah County Director of Public Health Jessica Guernsey told KOIN 6 News that the county’s purpose was to connect addicts with county resources after the county claimed to have changed its mind.

“I think you’re focusing a lot on the supplies and what I’m focusing on is the means to engage people. We’ve seen a tremendous drop in engagement across our services with the introduction of illicit fentanyl and so we are adding these supplies as another means to engage people. If we don’t engage people, we don’t help them at all,” Guernsey said.

DiLorenzo says he thinks the city handled the negotiations in good faith even though he assisted in negotiating the ADA settlement with the city.

“I was very impressed with the position the mayor and the city council took and the position the city attorney’s office took. Instead of slugging it out, which we could have done over a two- or three-year period in federal court, both parties wanted the problem solved,” DiLorenzo explained. “Everybody wanted to make the sidewalks available for people with disabilities who just want to live their lives.”

“Instead, they couldn’t as much buy a tube of toothpaste without having to co-mingle into the traffic or wheel through filth and debris and then have to try to figure out how to clean off their wheelchairs,” DiLorenzo added.

DiLorenzo asserts that it is possible to strike a balance between public safety and livability and compassion for those who are battling addiction, even as the city struggles with a fentanyl addiction problem.