Opinion
A4
Thursday, July 14, 2022
OUR VIEW
Why we should
be worried
about fentanyl
rug overdose death in Oregon more than
doubled from 2019 to 2021. The number
of overdose deaths from opioids alone
more than doubled — from 280 to at least 656. It
was mostly due to the synthetic opioid fentanyl.
How can you read that announcement from the
Oregon Health Authority and think what we are
doing is working?
Some of the increase in overdoses is believed
to be due to the social isolation and economic dis-
location from the pandemic. But there is also an
increasing availability of fentanyl.
The Oregon-Idaho High Intensity Drug Traf-
fi cking Area said in April 40% of all counter-
feit pills in circulation contain fatal amounts of
fentanyl.
The Oregon Health Authority seems to be
doing good things. It’s letting everyone know
about the problem. It’s doing its best to ensure
people have access to naloxone. That is what is
called a rescue drug. Give somebody a shot of
naloxone when they have an opioid overdose and
it’s likely to save them. The state is also working
to implement a mapping program that provides
real time overdose updates to local communities.
Some people will try drugs and get addicted. If
you have known someone struggling with addic-
tion, you know it’s not as simple as asking them
to stop. So there are eff orts to educate drug users.
They are told to assume pills they get have fen-
tanyl unless the person who handed it to them
was a pharmacist. They are told not to use drugs
alone and keep naxolone around and visible if
they do use drugs. Fentanyl test strips are made
available.
But here are two ideas. Naxolone may or
may not be covered by health insurance. Cou-
pons can be found online to help lower the cost.
Should Oregon require health insurance to cover
naxolone?
And second, we may sound like a broken
record on this, but we can’t help but think Mea-
sure 110 may not have been constructed quite
right.
That was the ballot measure that decriminal-
ized possession of small amounts of drugs, such
as heroin and methamphetamine. The measure
also took marijuana tax revenue and funneled it
into more drug treatment.
More treatment works best if people have
something getting them into treatment. Measure
110 makes it easier than before for people who are
caught in possession of drugs to avoid treatment.
That isn’t good.
D
EDITORIALS
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Compromise only goes so far
RYNDA CLARK &
MATHIEU FEDERSPIEL
OTHER VIEWS
arlier this month, our organizations joined with
our allies and went to court to restore protections
for large trees in Eastern Oregon. The editors of
this paper argued it represented failure on all sides. We
agree. To a point.
Anytime we go to court, it is the result of failure. In
this case, it was the Forest Service’s failure to abide by
the law. A fundamental concept of our democracy is that
no one — not even the government — is above the law.
Regardless of their means, citizens have a right to hold
their government accountable.
Our primary concern is for the health of our forests
and communities. We support some thinning near com-
munities and appropriate restoration of forests that have
been degraded by fi re suppression, logging and over-
grazing. None of those things require cutting our biggest
and oldest trees or logging the backcountry.
When a political appointee signed a decision to
undermine decades old protections for our forests, it
capped off a politically driven process. It also cut sov-
ereign tribes and the general public off from legally
required opportunities to seek a better outcome.
Left with no choice but to allow the illegally amended
rule to stand or challenge it in court, we chose to fi ght
for our forests and our rights. Had the substance of the
decision been diff erent, we’d fully expect the logging
industry to do the same.
We understand there are other perspectives out there.
While we fi nd their rhetoric misleading, we acknowl-
edge the logging industry has a right to free speech and
to use their political clout to increase their profi ts.
The real failure is with the Forest Service, which
failed to honor commitments made more than two
decades ago.
E
Rynda Clark is on the leadership team of the Great Old Broads for
Wilderness, which has four active chapters in Oregon. Mathieu Federspiel is
on the leadership team of the Juniper Group of the Oregon Sierra Club.
STATE REPRESENTATIVES
GOVERNOR
Kate Brown
160 State Capitol
900 Court St.
Salem, OR 97301-4047
503-378-4582
Bobby Levy, District 58
900 Court St. NE, H-376
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1458
Rep.BobbyLevy@state.or.us
STATE SENATOR
Greg Smith, District 57
900 Court St. NE, H-482
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1457
Rep.GregSmith@state.or.us
Bill Hansell, District 29
900 Court St. NE, S-415
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1729
Sen.BillHansell@state.or.us
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Supporters of the new rules that allow logging the
largest 3% of trees often tell the half-truth that they
replaced protections that were meant to be temporary.
They don’t mention those protections were meant to be
temporary until the agency crafted comprehensive rules
that would take all interests into account — including
those of us who advocate for clean water, wildlife habitat
and healthy communities. That never happened.
The agency regularly made exceptions to the rules.
Sometimes with our support.
When we learned the Trump administration was
changing the rules, we were skeptical. Still, we partic-
ipated in good faith. Just as the editors suggested, we
sat down and off ered compromises and proposals we
thought could lead to a good outcome.
However, those olive branches were brushed aside.
During a period of historic confl ict and distraction, and
under tremendous political pressure, the agency pushed
toward a predetermined outcome.
That outcome was opposed by dozens of conserva-
tion, climate, Indigenous and public health groups, thou-
sands of citizens, 115 independent scientists, and even
former Forest Service leadership.
We played by the rules. The agency did not.
So, when a political appointee ended the process by
signing a decision that violated numerous laws, we were
left with little choice but to exercise our constitutional
rights and stand up to our own government.
We join the editors in wanting to see compromise
from all sides and a better path forward. We also agree
that Sen. Wyden has a history of bringing folks together
as he did with his East Side forest bill years ago.
For that to happen again, protections must be
restored, with the goal of working toward a viable solu-
tion. We’ll be waiting at the table.
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