Washington State Governor Jay Inslee has called for a special session of the state legislature to pass a bill that would prevent Fentanyl from being automatically decriminalized.
The move comes as the state's current drug possession law is set to expire on July 1, and if a new bill is not passed by that date, hard drugs, including Fentanyl, will be decriminalized in the state.
The state's Supreme Court had struck down Washington's law-making drug possession a felony for being too harsh, and a temporary replacement law was passed, making drug possession a misdemeanor. However, the temporary law is set to expire this summer.
The State House voted against a bill to replace the temporary criminal code on drug possession last month, with Democrats and Republicans voting against it. Democrats criticized the bill for punishing drug users who need treatment, while Republicans said it preempts local governments' ability to regulate drug use.
If a new bill is not passed, Washington will become the second state in the country, after Oregon, to decriminalize hard drugs. Fentanyl deaths have been on the rise nationwide, with deaths involving Fentanyl use rising from 6 per 100,000 people to 22 per 100,000 between 2016 and 2021, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nearly 70,000 people died of drug overdoses involving Fentanyl in 2021 in America, with two-thirds of overdose deaths involving Fentanyl.
"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," said Inslee in a statement. The governor's move to reconvene the Democratic-controlled legislature is seen as a last-ditch effort to pass a bill that would prevent the automatic decriminalization of Fentanyl.
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