Ian Patrick, FISM News
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Washington state is on the verge of becoming the second state to decriminalize drug possession.
The Washington legislature adjourned their regular session in April after voting down a bill that would have kept drug possession illegal. Known as the Blake Bill, it would have made drug possession a gross misdemeanor which incurs more fines and jail time than a regular misdemeanor.
However, despite lengthy debate over the bill, it failed to pass the Washington House with a 43-55 vote.
The drug legislation issue began back in 2021 when the state supreme court overturned what was then a felony drug possession law. As a temporary measure, legislators implemented the Blake fix which made possession a regular misdemeanor.
The Blake fix was set to expire over the summer, which is what got the state government into action.
KUOW reporter Jeanie Lindsay said that the House looked “to strengthen the state’s drug possession laws,” but the other side of the argument wanted to strengthen assistance measures.
Lindsay said this group argued “that the state needs to do more to address addiction and substance use disorder and to support people in a public health oriented way, instead of just slapping more legal penalties on drug possession.”
Governor Jay Inslee (D) is calling the legislature back into a special session on May 16 to address this legislative issue.
“Cities and counties are eager to see a statewide policy that balances accountability and treatment, and I believe we can produce a bipartisan bill that does just that,” Gov. Inslee tweeted on Tuesday.
Cities and counties are eager to see a statewide policy that balances accountability and treatment, and I believe we can produce a bipartisan bill that does just that. Starting the clock on May 16 will put us on a path to getting the job done this month.https://t.co/uPi9ZJsdp9
— Governor Jay Inslee (@GovInslee) May 3, 2023
KUOW reporter Lindsay expressed a common concern that the bill’s failure would lead “local cities and governments … to pass their own ordinances and their own laws to essentially fill the space.”
This could create confusion and chaos for the government, as each locality would probably have different ways to approach the drug possession issue.