Legislative Advocacy

OPERA plays a large role in advocating for policies that promote, fund and coordinate the activities of each department in Oregon that is involved in drug and alcohol treatment and prevention. Reports on drug and alcohol policies in Oregon are collected and presented to the Governor and all members of the State Legislature by the Governor’s Council on Alcohol and Substance Abuse Programs.

In the 2009-2011 report by the Council, specific recommendations are offered regarding legislative action that should be taken to address the growing crises of drug and alcohol abuse in Oregon Those action items, and the full report, can be found and reviewed in the report attached. Click here. For the 2007-2009 report, click here.

Did you know that approximately 258,045 Oregonians experience substance abuse or dependence problems, but only 60,000 people access publicly funded treatment annually (NSDUH, 2006)?