The heartbreak never stops

It's like a bad science fiction novel any more here in Portlandia. Now the transit system has a new policy: If some crazed addict is smoking fentanyl on the bus or train, the driver will stop and let everybody else get off. Wonderful! As the kids at the Merc tell it –

According to the internal agency memo that was shared with the Mercury, the increase in fentanyl use has led to more frequent use of drugs in public spaces, including on and around TriMet buses and trains. Employees have been “understandably concerned about how exposure to smoke from this drug use may affect their health and ability to pass drug tests,” according to the memo, so TriMet has made two changes—a new policy to air out buses and an increased frequency of transit police “enforcement missions.”

“The increase in drug use in the communities TriMet serves is concerning, and it’s led to some issues on and near our transit system,” said TriMet spokesperson Tyler Graf. “We’ve instituted a new policy where, if an operator detects smoke or learns of odors that are concerning riders, they’ll stop the train to let riders off and air out the inside of the vehicle.”

According to TriMet spokesperson Roberta Altstadt, the agency wants to increase the number of transit police officers on the TriMet system to handle a variety of "nuisances," not just drug use. While the agency has a budget for 64 security officers, only 21 of those positions are currently filled.

I wish I were making this up. My God, the town has completely lost its mind.