<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2HvAte_0mucqbNk00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2HvAte_0mucqbNk00" width="1763" height="1176" > (The Center Square) – Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell is appointing a 24-member work group to update the Seattle Municipal Code to align with the Washington state Legislation’s recently passed drug possession law. Harrell’s work group will need to scramble to propose a legislation that will reconcile Seattle Municipal Code with state law on public use of illegal drugs and describe and codify how that law will be applied before the Blake fix goes into effect on July 1. <nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate> The state law retains criminal penalties in the form of making intentional possession or public use of small amounts of illegal drugs a modified gross misdemeanor, punishable by up to six months in jail for the first two offenses and up to a year after that. <a href="https://harrell.seattle.gov/2023/06/12/mayor-harrell-and-fentanyl-systems-work-group-to-address-consumption-of-illegal-drugs-in-public-spaces/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The work group </a> will develop implementation strategies and improve system coordination for drug possession prosecution. The larger Fentanyl Systems Work Group that was called for in Harrell’s executive order issued in April will assess diversion and treatment systems. The work groups will include members of the Seattle Mayor’s Office, Seattle City Council, Seattle Municipal Court, and Seattle City Attorney. Public health partners and public and private treatment providers will also collaborate with city officials. “There is a time for appropriate constitutional arrests when people are posing a threat to others; however, when people are a threat only to themselves, they need compassionate treatment,” Harrell said in a statement. “Updating the Seattle Municipal Code to align with recently passed state law makes sense, as does demonstrating how this additional tool will be applied and how it fits in the broader spectrum of treatment and diversion options.” <nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate> Seattle City Councilmember Andrew Lewis <a href="https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_35348690-094a-11ee-8eee-e3fff6f3f151.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> recently hinted </a> at proposing a new bill that would align with the Blake fix, but emphasize a treatment-first approach. Harrell and Lewis’ efforts to allow the city to prosecute local drug possession charges comes as a result of the failure of Council Bill 120586 last week in city council. The failed council bill was proposed by Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison and sponsored by City Councilmembers Sara Nelson and Alex Pedersen. The legislation would have allowed the city attorney to prosecute drug possession and public drug use within city limits for the first time in the city’s history. However, Seattle had not prosecuted drug cases before, so it would need to develop infrastructure for prosecution and diversion, which Harrell’s new work group will seek to address. <nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate></div></body>

Mountain View, CA

(The Center Square) – Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell is appointing a 24-member work group to update the Seattle Municipal Code to align with the Washington state Legislation’s recently passed drug possession law.
                Harrell’s work group will need to scramble to propose a legislation that will reconcile Seattle Municipal Code with state law on public use of illegal drugs and describe and codify how that law will be applied before the Blake fix goes into effect on July 1.
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