PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Oregon’s legislature is now in session and one of the first items under the magnifying glass is considering the future of Oregon’s controversial Measure 110. Both sides came out in full force in Salem Wednesday evening to make their cases heard by lawmakers.

It was a room divided as lawmakers heard from dozens of Oregonians weighing in on the future of the voter-approved Measure 110. One proposal, House Bill 4002, would repeal the law that decriminalized small amounts of hard drugs and go from the current Class E violation to a Class C misdemeanor with potential jail time, rather than a possible fine.

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Some who testified on its behalf came from law enforcement, talking about their own experiences like responding to overdose calls.

“We stood so silent that we could’ve heard a pin drop. A 15-year-old life passed through our fingers right there,” police officer Erin Anderson said.

Others spoke to the impact of fentanyl across the state as it has become more prevalent than when Measure 110 was first passed.

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“It’s no longer 2020. The world has changed,” Albany Mayor Alex Johnson II said. “Fentanyl has put a death grip on our society, our cities, our rural communities and our schools.”

Meli Rose works for the non-profit, Iron Tribe Network, a recipient of Measure 110 funds. She says it’s too soon to reverse it, as organizations are just starting to see the impact.

“It takes a while for these systems to get up and running but they’re up and running now. They had immediate waitlists. We just need more. We need more. It’s a good start and we need to keep moving forward, not moving backwards,” Rose said. “Using drugs isn’t a crime, it shouldn’t be treated as a crime. It’s a health care issue.”

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Others who spoke against the bills say that re-criminalizing drug possession would put additional hurdles on an already-strained public defender shortage, with a greater need for treatment options instead of jail time.

“We need more treatment, we need more services, we need more non-police mobile crisis teams to respond to people who are in crises,” American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon Executive Director Sandy Chung said.

If legislation is not passed, some who testified say they’re already considering putting forward ballot measures for the voters to decide.

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