The state of Oregon is making a revision to a law on Sept. 1 that will make possession of small amounts of illicit drugs like fentanyl and methamphetamine a crime again. The state’s previous law decriminalized possession of small amounts of drugs. The change will make possession and use of hard drugs in public—including on TriMet buses and trains, as well as at TriMet stops, stations and transit centers—a misdemeanor offense.
While TriMet’s Code of Conduct already prohibits drug use, starting Sept. 1, law enforcement, including officers assigned to TriMet’s Transit Police Division, can cite individuals for drug possession, punishable by up to 180 days in jail. The new law, House Bill 4002, also gives counties the ability to offer deflection programs that mandate engagement with addiction services as an alternative to jail time.
The change is the first of two new drug laws. The second—taking effect Jan. 1, 2025—explicitly focuses on public transportation. That law, Senate Bill 1553, will classify the use of drugs on public transit buses and trains in Oregon as a Class A misdemeanor, the most serious of misdemeanors, punishable by up to 364 days in jail, a $6,250 fine or both.
Public drug use has increased significantly in Oregon since 2020, with deadly results. In 2021, overdose deaths increased by 43 percent statewide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and they’ve kept rising in the following years. No other state saw a higher rate of overdose deaths than Oregon did in 2023.
Making transit a drug-free zone
Since the start of 2022, TriMet has more than doubled the number of safety, security and customer service staff on our transit system and taken other steps to address agency code violations and inappropriate behavior on board its systems. There are now about 500 people working to make the system cleaner, safer and more accessible.
Earlier this summer, safety and security staff began increasing enforcement of TriMet’s Code of Conduct—the agency’s rules for riding—to improve cleanliness and accessibility on board while addressing inappropriate activity. The rules focus on behavior that is prohibited on TriMet and cover everything, from paying fare, to not bringing items on board that leak and block aisles and prohibit smoking of any kind.
As part of this focus, the agency says riders will see Customer Safety Supervisors checking fares and, along with its Customer Safety Officers and Transit Security Officers, they’ll let riders know they need to follow the rules.
More tools for rider safety
TriMet has a 24-hour Security Operations Center, where riders can report non-urgent security issues such as loud or disruptive behavior, vandalism and litter, among other concerns.
The agency has also taken steps to improve safety as well, with updated security cameras and lighting at many of its transit centers, rail platforms and park and rides. The agency has also improved the safety panels next to the bus operator’s seat and added safety monitors on all its buses that show security camera views.
Providing support for a better experience for all
TriMet’s Safety Response Team discourages inappropriate and illegal behavior on and around the transit system, with an emphasis on riders in need, conducting social service outreach and providing referrals for housing and mental health services. Safety Response Team members carry backpacks with snacks, water and other supplies, including Narcan, the overdose-reversing nasal spray.
In 2023, TriMet’s Safety Response Team members connected with about 127,500 individuals, including conducting nearly 17,600 welfare checks, providing 5,876 referrals to social services and assisting 47 people showing suicidal thoughts.
