Senate passes drug possession fix, sponsor votes against it Essex Porter
In late February, a slim majority of the state Supreme Court overturned the minor drug possession law because it could convict people of a felony “.without proof that the defendant even knew they possessed the substance.”
Now cities like Marysville and, just this week, Mill Creek, have been enacting their own drug laws while state lawmakers work on a fix.
Redmond Senator Manka Dhingra proposed decriminalizing small amounts of drugs for people over the age of 21, and ramping up treatment options to help people with substance use disorder.
But she ended up voting against her own bill last night, when it was changed to make minor possession a gross misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail.
Washington becomes first state to provide forensic exams for survivors of strangulation q13fox.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from q13fox.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Washington Senate OKs bill to reinstate drug possession penalties By Associated Press
Share:
OLYMPIA The Washington Senate on Thursday approved a bill that would reinstate criminal penalties for drug possession.
The Seattle Times reported that lawmakers approved Senate Bill 5476, in response to the state Supreme Court’s ruling that struck down Washington’s felony possession law.
The version that passed Thursday brings back criminal penalties for possession. But instead of a felony, those instances would now be treated as a gross misdemeanor.
The bill passed on a vote of 28 to 20, with a rare mix of Democrats and Republicans voting on either side. It now moves to the House.
KXLY
April 15, 2021 7:48 PM Associated Press
Updated:
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) The Washington state Senate on Thursday approved a bill that would reinstate criminal penalties for drug possession.
The Seattle Times reports that lawmakers approved Senate Bill 5476, in response to the state Supreme Court’s ruling that struck down Washington’s felony possession law.
The version that passed Thursday brings back criminal penalties for possession. But instead of a felony, those instances would now be treated as a gross misdemeanor.
The bill passed on a vote of 28 to 20, with a rare mix of Democrats and Republicans voting on either side.
The version approved is a revision of the proposal by Sen. Manka Dhingra, D-Redmond. Her original bill would have made it a gross misdemeanor for someone under the age of 21 to be in possession of a controlled substance.
WA Senate OKs bill to reinstate durg possession penalties sfgate.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from sfgate.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.