Possession of hard drugs in Washington, like fentanyl and meth, will become legal by default this summer.As this year’s session ended late last month,WHAT THAT BILL SAID— Increased potential penalties for drug possession, making it a gross misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail, rather than a misdemeanor punishable by up to 90 days.
— Eliminated the requirement that police refer a person for treatment rather than prosecution for the first two offenses. Officers could then arrest someone for a first offense, while also encouraging police and prosecutors to divert cases.— Made clear that public health workers could not be prosecuted for giving out drug paraphernalia, such as clean glass tubes for smoking fentanyl.
— Included funding for drug crisis centers; a pilot program for access to clean drug paraphernalia and other services; and more access to withdrawal medication in jails and prisons.Many liberal Democrats have objected to criminalizing drugs, while conservative Democrats and Republicans insisted on a threat of jail to provide incentive for people to enter treatment.
Democrat and Republican lawmakers agree on the need to increase services, but Republicans felt the bill didn’t provide enough accountability for offenders and would preempt local bans on drug paraphernalia, among other things.The special legislative session beginning Tuesday gives lawmakers another chance to reach an agreement.
If a new measure is not passed before the temporary drug law expires, cities and counties would be free to adopt their own approaches, creating a patchwork of laws that could undermine efforts to treat addiction as a public health issue.that I have read and agree