Oregon Health Authority
Posted inOpinion

What We Learned from Oregon’s New Audit of Measure 110

After three successive audits, health officials still don’t know whether the drug treatment program is working. Officials at OHA say they’re working on it.
by The Source Editorial Board

In 2020, Oregon voters put a lot of stock in Measure 110 — the groundbreaking citizen initiative that made the state the first in the nation to decriminalize user amounts of drugs. The decriminalization portion of Measure 110 was rolled back by the legislature in 2024 — but the part of Measure 110 that took […]

Posted inNews

Mask Mandate Ending (Again)

After eight months, Oregon health officials will strip mask requirements for indoor public spaces
Avatar photo by Jack Harvel

On Monday, Oregon Health Authority officials announced they would lift all public mask mandates, including in schools, no later than March 31.  Oregon has had some of the strictest mask mandates in the nation, and is joined by just eight other states who have some form of a mandate in place at the time this […]

Posted inNews

Face Covering Distribution for Deschutes County

Deschutes County to distribute over 130,000 masks, hoping to prevent a second wave of shutdowns
Avatar photo Cayla Clark

In light of the statewide face covering mandate, Deschutes County announced that they will begin distributing close to 130,000 masks to local nonprofits, chambers and cities. The State of Oregon and Business Oregon provided the masks, and they are intended solely for public use. They’re disposable and reusable (if they are clean); however, they are […]

Posted inNews

No Confirmed Coronavirus Cases in Oregon… Yet

Oregon Health Authority offers updated info on people they’re tracking
Avatar photo Cayla Clark

Oregon doesn’t yet have any confirmed cases of the COVID-19 strain of coronavirus… but in case you want to keep up on the latest, the Oregon Health Authority is making it easier to track. The Oregon Health Authority announced Monday that it will update its monitoring of COVID-19 cases (and potential cases) every Tuesday, through its […]

Posted inNews

Vape Ban Excludes Nicotine Vapes, For Now

Flavored vape products that include THC still banned in Oregon
Avatar photo Nicole Vulcan

Last week, the Oregon Court of Appeals granted a temporary stay on the new rules that would have temporarily banned flavored vaporizer products in the state—meaning that for now, flavored nicotine vape products can stay on the shelves. The Court of Appeals granted a temporary stay on the Oregon Health Authority rules, which went into […]

Posted inNews

State Targets Tobacco Marketing

Report suggests licensing tobacco retailers, raising price
Hilary Corrigan

The tobacco industry’s marketing targets young people, communities of color and those with low incomes in Oregon, according to a recent state health report. Oregon Health Authority officials—along with partners from counties, tribes and communities—visited nearly 2,000 grocery stores, pharmacies, gas stations and other tobacco retailers in Oregon to assess the industry’s retail marketing. A resulting […]

Posted inNews

Oregon Lakes Carry Water Warnings

State advisories warn about risk of harmful algae blooms, including Lake Billy Chinook
Hilary Corrigan

Those traveling to lakes through Oregon this summer may want to watch the advisories from the Oregon Health Authority. On July 19, the state agency set advisories for Upper Klamath Lake at Eagle Ridge County Park in Klamath County, Tenmile Lakes at South Lake in Coos County and Cullaby Lake in Clatsop County due to […]

Posted inNews

The Oversupply Headache

Josh Jardine

Oregon produces more cannabis than we consume, causing endless consternation for regulatory and law enforcement agencies. This oversupply has resulted in threats from the state’s attorney general that authorities needed to step up their enforcement and efforts to deal with it before he does. It’s also sent prices plunging, dropping 50 percent last year, with […]

Posted inCulture

Winter PrideFest

LGBTQ-friendly events prove Pride can happen outside the month of June
Avatar photo Keely Damara

June may be Pride Month — but it’s 2019, so why can’t every month be Pride Month? OUT Central Oregon, a local nonprofit that organizes LGBTQ+-friendly events throughout the year, aims for just that. The organization promotes “inclusivity, visibility, and equality for the local Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Q+ community” in Central Oregon, putting on […]

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