Seattle council votes down ordinance to conform to the new law, which makes knowing possession a gross misdemeanour, with a fine of up to US$1,000 or six months in jail for the first two offences
Washington state had every reason to decriminalize drugs. Geographically and ideologically, it lies between Oregon and British Columbia, which have both embraced liberal drug regimes. Groups in Washington have advocated ballot initiatives similar to the one that brought decriminalization to Oregon two years ago. And a U.S. Supreme Court decision knocked down Washington’s existing law, placing it on track to legalize narcotics at the beginning of July.
But, responded councillor Alex Pedersen, “many people will see our city as descending from defund to decriminalize.” Oregon and B.C. have embraced decriminalization at the same time fentanyl has overtaken drug supplies across the continent. Both jurisdictions have ugly statistics to show for it. In B.C., overdose deaths per capita more than doubled between 2019 and 2022; no province has a worse rate.has the second-highest rate of substance use disorder in the U.S., while occupying last place in the provision of treatment services.
Oregon’s decriminalization of harder drugs has served as “a warning shot” for other states that have considered similar approaches, he said. Now a resident of Vancouver, Mr. Sabet described parts of the downtown as “depravity and poverty at the level that makes Skid Row in L.A. almost look like Beverly Hills.”
Decriminalization advocates, however, say it is fear of punishment that keeps people from seeking help. In Oregon, overdose deaths fell in 2022, even as drug fatalities slightly rose across the U.S.
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