Fentanyl state of emergency declared for Portland

By Darryl Coote – UPI

Jan. 30 (UPI) — A state of emergency was declared Tuesday for downtown Portland, as Oregon, county and city officials attempt to tackle the ongoing fentanyl crisis.

“Our country and our state have never seen a drug this deadly and addictive, and all are grappling with how to respond,” Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek said in a statement.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is between 50 and 100 times more potent than morphine, and is a main driver of the United States’ ongoing opioid epidemic.

According to the Oregon Health Authority, the state experienced more opioid overdose visits to emergency departments and urgent care centers last year compared to previous years, while the Portland Police Department’s Bureau of Narcotics and Organized Crime Unit saw a 75% increase in notifications of overdose deaths in 2023 over a year prior.

Last month, an annual report was published, stating that of the 123 drug overdose deaths experienced by those suffering from homelessness in Multnomah County, which is home to Portland, fentanyl was found to have contributed to 74% of them.

On Tuesday, Kotek, Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson and Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler each declared a 90-day state of emergency to commit available resources into a unified response to the crisis.

“The chair, the mayor and I recognize the need to act with urgency and unity across our public health and community safety systems to make a dent in this crisis,” Kotek said. “We are all in this together.”

Under the declaration, a command center will be established in the center of the city where state, county and city employees will coordinate strategies and response efforts, the state said, adding that it will serve to refocus existing resources and report data on the effects of fentanyl in downtown, while identifying and responding to acute needs and issues. It will also identify specific resources needed and establish a system that will exist after the 90-day declaration elapses.

Two public education campaigns will also run on transit, billboards, online and in the media promoting fentanyl prevention among youth and the effectiveness of recovery, the state said.

The announcement comes after the three officials last month released a set of 10 priority recommendations from the Portland Central City Task Force to be carried out this year, which included the declaration of a tri-government fentanyl emergency.

“Today, we move forward with urgency to address these challenges together under the authority of emergency declarations,” Wheeler said in a statement.

“This is exactly the type of coordinated action needed to make a direct impact and a lasting difference.”

Kotek explained Tuesday that the next three months under the declaration will provide “a road map for next steps.”