This article is a preview of an in-depth look at the challenges facing rural Oregon as high-profile issues in Portland dominate attention. The full text will be released on Saturday, February 10th.
McMINNVILLE, Ore. — While Portland has garnered national attention for its fentanyl crisis, rural Oregon is similarly facing the opioid epidemic head-on, without access to the same resources as larger cities.
“This drug does not differentiate between users in downtown Portland and users in rural parts of the county,” said Yamhill County Sheriff Sam Elliott.
Fentanyl has been rampant in this rural county since about 2021, when it began to become the drug of choice over methamphetamine. Deputies often rush down back roads to respond to overdose calls, sometimes up to an hour away.
Yamhill Sheriff Sam Elliott works in a rural Oregon county where fentanyl is prevalent. He said robberies and arrests are used by drug addicts to support their drug use, and this is a “nexus” that influences other crimes. (Hannah Rae Lambert/Fox News Digital)
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“Fentanyl is relevant to many things we do every day, including responding to robberies and thefts, finding people who are supporting the habit, or suffering from an overdose,” Elliott said. said.
There are many examples of people using fentanyl putting police and the public at risk. For example, a driver caused an accident while smoking a piece of foil. At one high school, three students and a co-student felt sick and went to the hospital after being exposed to a substance suspected to be fentanyl.
Meanwhile, in Portland, services such as detox centers and low-barrier shelters are available to help drug users who want to fight addiction. They are also available in rural Oregon, but their extensive coverage requires users to travel significant distances.
Patrol car lights flash as officers respond to a call in Sheridan, Yamhill County. (Hannah Rae Lambert/Fox News Digital)
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Elliott said this is a deterrent for addicts seeking help.
“When you’re dealing with something that’s widespread, it’s very difficult to get people connected to those services and keep them using them,” he told Fox News.
Yamhill County, southwest of Portland, is in the grips of a fentanyl crisis. Due to the rural location, it can take up to an hour to reach an overdose victim. (Hannah Rae Lambert/Fox News Digital)
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Elliott’s comments will be included in an upcoming in-depth article about homelessness, addiction and other issues plaguing rural and typically conservative Oregon counties. Further details, including comments from MPs representing rural areas, are expected to be published on Saturday morning.
This article is the next installment of Fox News Digital’s series “Northwest Crisis,” which examines the crisis facing Oregon. In previous parts, we analyzed how decriminalized drugs are impacting Portland, considered possible future directions, and looked at programs that have shown some success. The focus was on city leaders’ frustrations with guardrails and limited progress.
