The final deal on Senate Bill 5536 collapsed shortly before 8 p.m., following two years of lawmakers struggling to reach consensus after the Washington Supreme Court struck down the state’s felony drug possession statute. The court ruling invalidated decades of convictions and related orders to pay restitution.
After the ruling in 2021, legislators and Gov. Jay Inslee approved a temporary stopgap making unlawful possession of a drug a misdemeanor crime on the third occurrence, with law enforcement officers supposed to give treatment options the first two times. That temporary approach, which was broadly criticized, is set to expire in July.
Sunday’s dramatic finish capped a busy year in the Democratic-controlled
→ Continue reading at Crosscut
