Fentanyl state of emergency declared in downtown Portland, Oregon
Elected leaders in Oregon have declared a state of emergency for downtown Portland over the public health and public safety crisis fueled by fentanyl
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Several elected leaders in Oregon declared a state of emergency on Tuesday for downtown Portland over the public health and public safety crisis fueled by fentanyl.
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson made the declaration for a 90-day period during which collaboration and response will come from a command center downtown. The three governments are directing their agencies to work with first responders in connecting people addicted to the synthetic opioid with resources including drug treatment programs and to crack down on drug sales.
“Our country and our state have never seen a drug this deadly addictive, and all are grappling with how to respond,” Kotek said in a statement.
The declaration is a recommendation from a governor-established task force that met for several months last year to determine ways to rejuvenate downtown Portland.
