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Last week, Portland police arrested a man they say was dealing methamphetamine and fentanyl on a downtown corner. But the crime prosecutors charged him with had nothing to do with illicit drugs. Instead, they charged him with a different felony: practicing medicine without a license.
On June 14, 2023, Officer Eli Arnold watched 31-year-old John Baker Jr. pull up to the corner of Southwest 9th Avenue and Washington Street and pull out a bag containing meth. “People milling about approached him eagerly in a manner consistent with street drug transactions,” noted a probable cause affidavit later filed by prosecutors.
But when Arnold arrested Baker, he had only 2.1 grams of meth—and no cash. “At Baker’s foot was a single fentanyl pill that had likely been dropped by Baker” upon seeing the officer, wrote deputy district attorney Eric Pickard. “Two blue pills which tested presumptive positive for fentanyl were also recovered. Both pills were stamped with the letter M in an attempt to falsely portray the pills as legitimate medication.”
When asked if he was dealing, Baker nodded, but then said “he really was just helping people out” who were experiencing withdrawals, according to the affidavit.
Baker admitted to having no medical license. Hence, the surprising charge. “This charge is something we have used in the past, but we are unaware of it being used in this context,” says DA office spokeswoman, Liz Merah. “It is important to us to use all available laws to prosecute people who are propagating dangerous drugs like fentanyl on our streets.”
This isn’t the first time Multnomah County prosecutors have used unconventional charges against downtown drug dealers. Beginning this year, they’ve started levying Trademark Counterfeiting Charges against dealers selling “blues,” the fentanyl pills stamped to look like legitimate OxyContin manufactured by Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals.
Portland's Mayor Wants to Outlaw Public Hard Drug Use
Two years ago, on February 1, 2021, Oregon began implementing the Drug Addiction Treatment Recovery Act (DATRA, commonly called Measure 110) and became the first state in the U.S. to decriminalize small amounts of drugs for personal use. Under Measure 110, using a certain amount of hard drugs like fentanyl is not a criminal offense. Instead, users are given $100 citations and a number to call for treatment.
Portland police are also responding to an increase in deadly fentanyl overdoses. Mayor Ted Wheeler’s office confirmed that he is now considering outlawing hard drug use in public and introducing criminal penalties, something many Portlanders have been asking for.
“Yeah, they need to go to jail or rehab, either way, they have to, 'cause they’re going to die,” said one man who works downtown and sees the crisis every day.
Portland police are also responding to an increase in deadly fentanyl overdoses. Mayor Ted Wheeler’s office confirmed that he is now considering outlawing hard drug use in public and introducing criminal penalties, something many Portlanders have been asking for.
“Yeah, they need to go to jail or rehab, either way, they have to, 'cause they’re going to die,” said one man who works downtown and sees the crisis every day.
Source Williamette Week, KGW
Duarte for mayor in Portland He knows what it takes to scrape the shit off the pavement. Lol
ReplyDeleteI'm from the area.. FAIRVIEW.... Man they place went from being beautiful to bum central. They completely destroyed the city for sure. There's roads by the airport that would blow ur mind away tents and boxes broken rv and make shift homes for miles and miles. Bums everywhere.
ReplyDeleteOutlaw drug use in public. Out of sight out of mind.
ReplyDeleteThis🎯🎯
DeleteOne party state. I'm liberal and even I think this is getting ridiculous. Lock em up and criminalize hard drugs so these addicts have a treatment option.
ReplyDeleteMandated ReHab doesn't work. Never has, never will. The only way they have any numbers of success is that some dude gets a DUI, and has to go through a program. He graduates. Good for him. But for hardcore addicts, only they will decide IF and when to clean up.
Deleteyep
DeleteIf ur still liberal then ur a fool watchn ur town get ruined by them and voting for it lol
DeleteVlad the Impaler, the prince of Wallachia, (now part of Romania), who was the historical basis for the fictional count dracula, had a cure for homelessness that wouldn't be politically correct today..
ReplyDeleteHe invited every drunk, beggar, troll, and deadbeat in the area to a grand fiesta in the great town hall, and when the party was getting into full swing, he had the doors and windows barred from the outside and merrily burnt the place down..
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@8:04 am. "Turkish messengers being given an audience with Vlad Dracula were told to remove their turbans in his presence. The messengers refused to remove their head gear in accordance with their ancient customs.Vlad saying that he wanted to help strengthen their custom had the turbans nailed to their heads,"
DeleteOl' Vladdy was some piece of work. Even bloodthirsty sicarios go, "Damn!"
Where you been? Small amounts of drugs are legal. When you get in trouble with drugs you can pay a fine .Best place ever.
ReplyDeleteOregon has the right idea. It's never gonna stop so stop wasting money on it. It's been like this for like 3 years and it's so much better people no getting locked up for stupid drugs. Here our crime rate is nothing but drugs. Canada is trying to implement this for there whole country cause of how great it works for crime. We always do things better on the west coast. Don't be mad cause we live better then you. Stay sober while I'm stay high.
ReplyDelete1029
DeleteLol be a business owner in California. You will get jacked every day because addicts have to pay for their next high. Stupid ass troll
Last time I checked we were talking about oregon, not Cali. Rather live here then gang infested Cali. Hope your proud your state basicly is a cartel state. And the lapd the most crooked cops ever created. Lol I would be bitter to if I had to live like you. But I don't Imma smoke this legal fent 30 on my porch and enjoy the after noon. 🎉
DeleteRather see people high then a bunch of gamgbangers. Compare our shooting to Cali, compare Oregon crimes to calI crimes. Witch is worse? Your proud to be the gang capitol of the world. Most street gangs all originate from Cali. Our gangs are like child's play compared to Cali. Cali is what's wrong with America. Cali is a major hub for human trafficking, drugs, guns you name it Cali is there. Hope Cali goes under water and takes all there bullshit with them. The world would be better with out California
DeleteO yea and I support big business I hope all small business go under so the real corporations can give us products at a good prices . Small business expect us to feel sorry for them and pay more. Fuck that. No one needs over priced goods.
Delete@10:29 im also from the area and a business owner and we have a lot more than drug crimes. While we may not have the murder rate as high as California, we do have so much theft and property crime. That may be nothing to you, but it is to me and a lot of others that I talk to. Bums steal so many cars, turn streets into literal chop shops, steal from stores that no mall or store wants to fully stock anymore, and openly use drugs in downtown. When you visit downtown, you're playing Russian roulette to be assaulted and even children visiting have been punched in the face. Don't believe me, look it up. We have gangs, but not as prominent as LA, and many business owner's are fleeing to the West suburbs to try to get away from this crap hole. As high as taxes are here for small business and as expensive as life is here, it's not worth it. I'm also a liberal but here in Oregon, it's clear both sides of the spectrum are benefiting one way or another (legal cannabis, wineries/breweries, and illegal timber)
Delete10 38
DeleteThe Topic is Portland Oregon, the article is NOT about California.
In America on the west coast, there are these guys running buisiness as "street medics" and that's kind of a Portland concept. Like it's an insurgency and you are in pain.
ReplyDeleteThis is a nonsense
DeleteCool. Now they just need to make sure the drugs they sale are good quality.
ReplyDeleteIm am not that informed about how Portland went about decriminalizing drugs. But decriminalazing drugs is recommended by for example UN and WHO. But people need to see the whole picture. Decriminalization is an very important part of ending stigma, marginalisation, punishment for sipmle drug use. At the same time it will not alone solve the problemes that the USA faces. There has to be a lot of harm reduction programs in place to, and treatment for people who wants to go in to treatment at the same time. The homleseness has to be adressed, help for mental illness, and there seem to bee no security net for people in need in place for people in the USA wich is sad.
ReplyDeleteDecriminalization in Portland also happened at the same time as Covid hit and USA was flooded with cheap fentanyl. The drug market has beacuse of prohibithion and failed drug laws led to the drug supply becoming more and more potent and toxic all the time. I belive their also has to be som discussion about safe supply for people dependent on the toxic drug supply. Safe supply can be like in Canada or more like in som European countries that offer evidence based heroinassisted treatment as a compliment to regular evidens based ost with methadone and buprenorphine or even slow release oral morphine. Heroinassisted treatment is also a form of safe supply. Heroinassisted treatment and regular OST with well developed harm reduction services was what helped Switzerland turn the tide in the eightis and nineties when they hade a huge problem with illegal heroin and large open drug scenes i bigger cities leading to lots of death.
Critics of decriminaliation needs to see the whole picture. Decriminalization is working in many countries and is an important step in the right direction if done correct. Portugal is an example that is often used as a sucess story but they at the same time also invested a lot in harm reduction programs and treatment, and they also have free health care.
The old prohibitionist represssive drug laws is much of what has made this disaster possibe.It is time to start listening to the people who use drugs and what they need and the profession who now about what evidence says. There are not one solution for everyone, there has to be a lot of different solution to meet individual needs.