Oregon needs immediate action to the addiction crisis. This means continuing to invest in a holistic, healthcare-based approach to address the root causes of the addiction crisis. The solution cannot include going backwards to failed drug war policies.

The ACLU of Oregon (ACLU-OR) joined National ACLU, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and the Lewis & Clark Law School Criminal Justice Reform Clinic in filing an amicus brief urging the Oregon Supreme Court to allow overloaded public defenders to withdraw from cases when overloaded.

By passing SB 1510, legislators advanced Oregon’s commitment to equity and racial justice through an array of strategies that were developed by communities and coalitions that came together through the Governor’s Racial Justice Council.