Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler has backtracked on his proposed plan to ban public drug use, saying that the bill is no longer necessary.
Under current state law, possessing a small amount of illicit drugs is treated as a civil violation, not a criminal offense, and a $100 fine.
House Bill 2645 would have increased penalties for fentanyl possession with the punishment of 364 days in prison, a $6,250 fine, or both.
“We believe that House Bill 2645 addresses our primary concerns about the public health crisis unfolding on our streets, and it restores necessary law enforcement tools that were envisioned in my own ordinance,” Wheeler said in a statement. “Therefore, it is no longer necessary to pass an ordinance at the local level, and I will be withdrawing my proposed ordinance.”…