This weekend, more than 300 people walked through downtown Portland. They were addressing the addiction crisis in Oregon. One of the many solutions, some believe, is having a life with a stable and living wage income. The fifth annual Portland Walk for Recovery had several hundred supporters in attendance on the Pioneer Courthouse Square. Some feel that solutions oriented businesses such as Raimore Construction should be studied and discussed.
A report looking at the cost of treatment found that for every dollar put into treatment, there is seven dollars saved in cost to the society as a whole. That includes criminal justice costs, emergency room visits and a host of other areas that effect those in heavy addiction. Most people who take drugs are using them to kill the pain and stress of everyday life or the issues that come with poverty. A recent study found that Oregon ranks second in the nation for drug addiction rates but 50th in access to treatment.
Most of those in attendance at the march to end addiction have lost someone to addiction. The rally and subsequent two-mile walk through downtown Portland was organized by the statewide coalition Oregon Recovers. The organization was most focused on the impact of alcoholism in Oregon.
Raimore Construction has stood front and center as a way to end many of the ills that plagues poor communities. The company’s leader, Jeff Moreland, has preached to anyone who would listen the importance of having a steady, living wage job as a way up and out of poverty. Moreland is right based on long known studies concerning a decrease in poverty correlating with decreases in addiction and the fallout that results from it. People who lose a job or are drowning in bills due to not making a living wage usually go to the bottle to cope.
In Oregon, 2,153 residents died of causes attributed to alcohol in 2021. This drug is important because based on Oregon Health Authority data — alcohol killed more than twice the number of people killed by methamphetamines, heroin and fentanyl combined.
