Drug overdose death in Oregon more than doubled from 2019 to 2021. The number of overdose deaths from opioids alone 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 dislocation from the pandemic. But there is also an increasing availability of fentanyl.

The Oregon-Idaho High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area said in April 40% of all counterfeit 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 addiction, it’s not as simple as asking them to stop. So there are efforts to educate drug users.

They are told to assume pills they get have fentanyl 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.

Coupons 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 Measure 110 may not have been constructed quite right.

That was the ballot measure that decriminalized possession of small amounts of drugs, such as heroin and methamphetamine. The measure also took marijuana tax revenue and funneled 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.