King county has been sounding an alarm about growth in overdose deaths.
In 2021 the State Supreme Court issued its “Blake” decision, overturning drug possession laws in our state due to technical issues regarding the definition of possession. Our state legislature responded by implementing an ineffective interim drug possession law that requires police to issue two referrals to treatment to anyone caught with hard drugs like fentanyl or heroin before they can be arrested. But no clear state-wide mechanism has been established for recording and tracking the referrals, so police can’t track the number of referrals or arrest for possession. Instead, police can just suggest people using drugs go to treatment, the same way everyone else has been unsuccessfully suggesting this to people struggling with addiction.
Recent Comments