Portland DA cracks down on drug crimes as Seattle pulls back on enforcement
As Seattle backs away from prosecuting drug possession, Portland’s top prosecutor is moving in the opposite direction, announcing a crackdown aimed at offenders who refuse treatment after arrest.
Multnomah County District Attorney Nathan Vasquez announced his office will begin prosecuting individuals arrested for drug possession who fail to meaningfully engage in treatment within 90 days, marking a shift away from a deflection-only approach adopted after Oregon decriminalized hard drugs.
Vasquez said the policy change follows a yearlong effort to give the county’s deflection program time to succeed — an effort he said ultimately fell short.
"The District Attorney wanted to give Multnomah County’s deflection program a chance to succeed, but after one year it was clear that it was failing," a spokesperson for Vasquez said.
Under the new approach, individuals will still be offered treatment and services, but those who refuse to participate or fail to engage over a 90-day period will face drug possession charges and have their cases moved into the court system.
"Our goal is to get people help and keep them out of the criminal justice system," Vasquez said. "But there needs to be real consequences if people refuse to get help."
Adam Gibbs, general counsel for the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office, said the policy targets the one area fully within the DA’s authority: prosecution decisions.
"The District Attorney made a change to the one aspect of deflection that this office has unilateral control over — who will get prosecuted," Gibbs said.
Gibbs said the DA’s office is now coordinating with the county’s Health Department and commissioners to improve accountability and outcomes within the deflection program.
"We are doing the hard work of coordinating with the Health Department and commissioners to promote alignment on program outcomes and criteria," he said. "The goal is to improve the County’s program outcomes through increased engagement, and to prosecute only those cases where individuals have failed to meaningfully engage for a period of 90 days."
Vasquez said surrounding counties adopted accountability measures earlier and believes similar expectations in Multnomah County will help steer more people toward recovery.
"By introducing accountability, as our surrounding counties have done from the start, we hope more people struggling with substance use disorder will get the help they need and stay out of the criminal justice system," he said.
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The shift is drawing support from recovery advocates who say accountability can be a critical turning point for people battling addiction.
Lance Orton, executive director of CityTeam Portland, said Vasquez’s approach strikes a balance between compassion and consequences — something he said is often missing from addiction policy.
"District Attorney Nathan Vasquez’s new approach to accountability within Multnomah County’s Deflection Center is trying to balance compassion with meaningful consequences for those struggling with addiction," Orton said.
Orton said he was encouraged by the DA’s decision after reviewing data showing low participation and completion rates in the county’s deflection program.
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"This shift isn’t about punishment," Orton said. "It’s about ensuring pathways to recovery are real, effective and lead to lasting change."
Despite millions invested in the deflection center, Orton said outcomes have been limited.
"The current Deflection Center is seeing very few participants and low success metrics — often fewer than two individuals per day and low follow-through to services," he said.
Orton pointed to CityTeam Portland’s residential recovery program as evidence accountability works.
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"Nearly 75% of the men and women in our residential recovery program are court-mandated, and every one of them will tell you that being directed into treatment was the turning point in their lives," Orton said.
He added CityTeam Portland has available beds at its new Old Town facility and stands ready to help.
"This is a pro-treatment, pro-accountability stance that honors both public safety and personal dignity," Orton said. "When compassion isn’t tethered to accountability, recovery outcomes suffer."
Some county officials have raised concerns about whether Multnomah County currently has enough treatment resources to support a tougher enforcement approach.
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According to KATU, Multnomah County Commissioner Meghan Moyer said gaps remain in the county’s addiction treatment system and warned against relying too heavily on incarceration.
"We have some gaps in our system where we can’t promise that if you go to detox, the minute that you are done, we have a bed for you in the right level of care," Moyer told KATU. "That is a problem. So I don’t want to over-promise that our system is now ready and working smooth."
Moyer said jail should not be the default solution for addiction, emphasizing the need for expanded treatment capacity. Fox News Digital has reached out to Moyer for additional comment.
Multnomah County Sheriff Nicole Morrisey O’Donnell told Fox News Digital that drug enforcement decisions must balance public safety with behavioral health needs, cautioning against relying too heavily on incarceration while supporting accountability when treatment efforts fail.
Morrisey O’Donnell said county jails are not equipped to serve as treatment centers and warned that jailing people without meaningful services can undermine both recovery and public safety. She emphasized the need for a coordinated, community-based response that integrates treatment and support services.
At the same time, the sheriff said accountability remains necessary for individuals who repeatedly refuse or fail to engage in deflection programs, calling structured consequences an appropriate next step when voluntary treatment does not work.
The policy shift comes as Seattle and King County have moved away from prosecuting many drug possession cases, a contrast critics say has worsened public safety conditions.
Seattle-based conservative radio host and commentator Jason Rantz said Portland’s move reflects a growing recognition that leniency has failed.
"Portland’s DA is finally admitting what Seattle’s leaders still refuse to say out loud — that enabling addiction is the kind of ‘compassion’ that kills people," Rantz said.
"Forcing accountability, including consequences for refusing treatment, can be the only thing that works," he said. "This isn’t about virtue-signaling — it’s about public safety and saving lives."
Vasquez echoed that criticism, calling Seattle’s approach a mistake. He pointed to Portland’s own experience with drug decriminalization as a warning.
"We saw what happened in our community when we decriminalized drugs and stopped holding people accountable and making arrests for open-air drug use," Vasquez said. "The results were simply devastating, with hundreds upon hundreds of people overdosing and dying."
Vasquez added that reduced arrests amount to de facto decriminalization.
"When you stop making arrests, that’s decriminalization, and it’s extremely damaging," he said. "Nobody wants to walk through clouds of fentanyl smoke — especially downtown."
Seattle police pushed back on claims that the city has gone soft on drug enforcement, saying officers are actively making arrests and working with prosecutors to address narcotics activity.
The Seattle Police Department said it is coordinating closely with the Mayor’s Office and City Attorney’s Office to reduce drug dealing and use. According to the department, officers made 21% more narcotics-related arrests in 2025 than in 2024, totaling 1,212 arrests, and recorded a 205% increase in drug paraphernalia arrests over the previous year.
The department said its officers remain committed to making arrests and producing strong reports to support prosecution, emphasizing that enforcement efforts are focused on public safety while treating people with dignity and respect.
Seattle officials did not directly address criticism from Portland’s district attorney regarding the city’s broader drug policy approach.