But the bill has a long way to go before it can become law, and lawmakers remain sharply divided over how Washington should treat drug use and treatment.
Legislators have remained split over how to respond to the state Supreme Court’s February 2021 ruling, known as the Blake decision. That ruling struck down the state’s felony drug possession law, essentially invalidating decades of criminal convictions and related penalties, like orders to pay restitution for such violations.
Caught by surprise halfway through that year’s legislative session, lawmakers crafted a temporary solution. They approved a new statute that made unlawful possession of a drug a misdemeanor crime on the third violation, with
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