A longtime Multnomah County administrator is taking on a new role that will put her at the heart of Oregon’s fentanyl overdose crisis — and the next chapter of the state’s effort to combat drug addiction.

Abbey Stamp, 51, will start Oct. 15 as the new executive director of the Oregon Health Authority’s Measure 110 program. Stamp is taking the helm at a time when Measure 110 has reached a crossroads since Oregon voters passed it in 2020 to decriminalize low-level drug possession and plow millions into programs for drug users. The state will recriminalize low-level drug possession on Sept. 1 as counties establish deflection programs to divert people to treatment.

For the past 11 years, Stamp has been executive director of Multnomah County’s Local Public Safety Coordinating Council, which works on criminal justice reform issues and policies in the state’s largest county.

In an interview with the Capital Chronicle, Stamp said she wants to change the perception of Measure 110, which fell out of favor among law enforcement agencies and the public over the lack of enforcement for drug possession. Stamp said it was “really devastating” to her personally that the term “Measure 110” had become a derogatory term.

“I’d like to contribute what I can to change that,” Stamp said. “Measure 110 funding is still intact, and it can still do important things in our communities to help folks get on the journey towards recovery.”

Change of approach

The measure decriminalized possession of small amounts of hard drugs and put a $100 citation system in place without criminal penalties. But as public drug use became rampant, with more than 1,000 Oregonians dying of overdoses in 2023, state lawmakers approved a new misdemeanor penalty to encourage people to enter a diversion program.

Even so, Measure 110 will continue to play a dominant role in Oregon’s fight against addiction. The program, overseen by the Oregon Health Authority, will continue to receive millions of dollars a year in cannabis revenues for addiction programs and support, including treatment, housing, support groups and services run by peers, who are in recovery from drug addiction.

The agency has distributed more than $275 million in funding, health authority data show, but the rollout has been bumpy. A state audit in January 2023 found the health authority’s rollout was fraught with obstacles and red tape.

The authority, which announced Stamp’s hiring on Wednesday, has struggled to fill the position. Angela Carter, the former manager of the program and a naturopath, quit in August 2023 and accused the agency in a letter of ignoring requests for staffing and resources, calling the authority “maliciously negligent,” The Lund Report reported at the time.

Stamp’s hiring will give the agency a fresh start with an executive who has experience as a social worker and administrator.

“As a licensed clinical social worker and administrative leader, Abbey brings to this position expertise as a behavioral health provider and as an equity-focused policymaker,” Ebony Clarke, the authority’s behavioral health director, said in a statement. “Through her leadership, Abbey will continue to create and strengthen intentional partnerships with providers across the state to ensure those with substance use disorders have access to support and services in their communities.”

Stamp’s annual salary will be $141,000, and her program’s budget — not counting grants — is about $7.5 million annually with about 25 staffers.