OLYMPIA, Wash. — A local legislator is speaking out on a recent state Supreme Court decision that decriminalized drug possession.
A month ago, in what has come to be called the Blake Decision, the court threw out the state’s felony drug possession law.
39th District Republican Senator Keith Waggoner is the former mayor of Sedro-Woolley and says policing decisions should be local.
Senator Mike Padden is a former judge and says the decision is already having devastating effects, citing an Everett police case where a woman was shooting up heroin in a car and they were not able to do anything about it.
State House Republicans introduced drug law fix bills Tuesday that variously would increase behavioral health system responses to individuals on drugs, help youth with substance abuse problems, allow local governments to enact laws and ordinances relating to possession of controlled substances, and expand offenses and penalties for manufacture, sale and distribution of hard drugs.