Washington state to decriminalize drugs unless lawmakers act; Gov. Inslee calls special session

OLYMPIA, Wash. - Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is calling lawmakers back to work after they rejected a bill setting out a new statewide drug policy — a development that has put the state on the brink of decriminalizing possession of fentanyl and other drugs while also depriving it of much-needed investments in public health.Lawmakers adjourned their regular session late last month after voting down a bill that would keep drug possession illegal and boost services for people struggling with addiction.

Many liberal Democrats objected to criminalizing drugs, while conservative Democrats and Republicans insisted they must be to provide incentive for people to enter treatment.Inslee has called that unacceptable, and on Tuesday he set a special legislative session beginning May 16 to give them another chance."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," Inslee said.A temporary law that makes possession of small amounts of drugs a misdemeanor expires on July 1, so if lawmakers fail to pass a bill, Washington would become the second state — after neighboring Oregon — to decriminalize drug possession.

Cities and counties would be free to adopt their own approaches to drug possession and paraphernalia, creating a patchwork of laws that could undermine efforts to treat addiction as a public health issue.Lawmakers said Tuesday they were increasingly optimistic they can reach a compromise to avoid those consequences."I've cleared my schedule," said state Rep.

Roger Goodman, D-Kirkland. "I'm working day and night on this."Like other states, Washington has wrestled with what to do with an overdose crisis worsened by.