Drug addicts in Oregon have come up with a scheme that sees them using their food stamps to buy cases of water which they then immediately empty out in order to obtain a 0.10 cents bottle deposit to then buy drugs with.

Video footage shot in a parking lot on Portland sees one group of people with shopping carts full of pallets of bottled water, only to have them empty the contents out on the ground.

The alleged addicts will then return to the supermarket from where they acquired the bottled water to obtain a recycling refund.

A person purchasing a 24-pack of water bottles with food stamps can generate $2.40 within a matter of minutes, with the sums quickly adding up.

One major issue in Portland is how accessible the drugs are becoming. People can pay as little as $1 for a fentanyl pill, compared to a year ago, where dealers would charge up to $20.