Washington Becomes Second State To Decriminalize All Drugs

Washington Representatives Lauren Davis (D) and Kirsten Harris-Talley (D) introduced Washington Bill HB 1499. This Legislature would make Washington the second state in the nation to legalize the personal use of all drugs, ranging from psychedelic mushrooms to opiates. The measure would also designate state money into treatment and community-based intervention programs, where drug users and people with mental health problems would be referred instead of being treated like a criminal and going to jail. While existing laws against drug possession would remain on the books, they would no longer apply to people who possess less than the “personal use amount” of a drug, defined by the bill as an amount “consistent with personal, non-prescribed use patterns of people with substance use disorder.” Individuals with prior convictions for activity decriminalized under the bill would be able to petition a court to vacate the conviction and current prisoners locked up for simple non-violent drug crimes would be released. Washington Police are pushing back against this new provocative legislation by still confiscating All drugs, labeling it as contraband. They will not make any arrests for simple possession and prosecutors have stopped pursuing non-violent drug cases that would be covered under the new legislation.