This story will be updated.
Two landmark bills around drug prevention efforts cleared the Oregon Legislature Thursday, setting in motion a potential sea change in the state’s approach toward its youth addiction crisis.
House Bill 3321 and House Bill 2929 charges the state Alcohol and Drug Policy Commission with something the state hasn’t done for a decade: develop a strategy based on the latest research to prevent drug use and addiction.
The commission is now responsible for the state’s prevention, treatment and recovery strategy for people up to age 26. It will be asked to coordinate community and state efforts,while advising youth treatment providers and reporting to the Legislature.
Young Oregonians experience one of the nation’s highest rates of youth substance disorder in the country as well as one of the highest rates of fatal overdoses in their age group. Federal data from a 2023 survey show that drug overdoses were the leading cause of death among those 15 to 24 in Oregon. The growth in deaths from 2018 to 2023 — 625% — was the highest in the country.
Yet, less than 2% of Oregon’s spending on substance use disorder services went to youth prevention other than tobacco, according to a state-commissioned report issued last spring.
The two bills lay a new foundation for the state that experts said had lacked a cohesive strategy.
Pam Pearce, a prominent prevention educator and advocate, told The Lund Report that the bills’ passage “was a huge win, and it's incredible opportunity for the state of Oregon.” She said The Lund Report's reporting contributed to the bills' passage.
Youth prevention, she said, “ is the cure… start at the beginning and ensure that everyone has the information they need to stay safe and protect themselves. So many of the issues we experience will go away.
“It's a solid foundation, and now the real work will begin.”
Another advocate for the bill, Jon Epstein, has pushed the state to focus on prevention since he lost his 18-year-old son Cal to a fentanyl pill in 2020.
He said he is hopeful and optimistic with the initial progress, but it’s only a first step. “We’ll need continued emphasis and likely some funding, and a focus on key areas of concern such as high potency cannabis and the education system.”
A third bill that would have added funding for more high schools for students with severe substance abuse addictions did not pass because of budgetary concerns.
State had failed at helping vulnerable kids
For a decade, Oregon has failed to pursue science-based education in drug use and addiction prevention as state law calls for.
A six-month investigation last year by The Lund Report with the University of Oregon’s Catalyst Journalism Project and Oregon Public Broadcasting revealed that public schools serving the bulk of Oregon students were not providing science-based tools to help young people avoid drug use as state law requires. Oregon agencies do little to help school districts meet state requirements — or hold them accountable when they don’t.
Meanwhile, the investigation found, other states do far more to promote cohesive, research-based, community oriented strategies.
Oregon had a coordinated and research-based focus on preventing drug use and addiction until a decade ago. But the division doing that work was eliminated during a 2015 reorganization. A different unit took over and used an approach that observers and experts considered unsuccessful.
Studies show that those who take drugs or other substances before age 15 are nearly seven times more likely to become addicted than those who wait until they’re 21. Researchers have also found that more than 90% of adults with an addiction problem started taking drugs in their youth.
(Lynne Terry contributed reporting).