Oregon passes new laws to help prevent crime on its transit services

The state of Oregon is making revisions to exisiting laws which wil make possession of small amounts of illegal substances a crime. This change will make the possession and use of hard drugs in public - including on the state's transit systems - a misdemeanour offence. 

 

Although drug use is already prohibited on its services, offenders can now be charged with 180 days in jail or mandatory engagement with addiction services. 

 

Further law changes are planned to make the use of drugs on transit a Class A misdemeanor - the most serious type - which could be punished by either a year in custody or a heavy fine.  

 

Public drug use has increased significantly in Oregon since since 2020 and TriMet has more than doubled the number of safety, security and customer service staff on duty to help ake the system cleaner, safer and more accessible. 

 

Tri-Met has a 24 -hour Security Operations Center, where riders can report non-urgent security issues such as loud or disruptve behaviour, vandalsim and litter as well as upping security camera and safety panels for its drivers.