The driver behind WA's drug/crime/homeless problems... (Seattle, Olympia: felony, house)

[rkcarguy]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/polit...6fff54e6&ei=31

"The Washington Supreme Court in 2021 struck down a state law making drug possession a felony. It was unconstitutional, the court said, because it did not require prosecutors to prove that someone knowingly had the drugs. Washington was the only state in the country without that requirement."

A democrat controlled house voted down SB 5536, a compromise to get things under control with "infringing on the freedom" of druggies.

"Drugs Inc", has a Seattle episode. It goes into how the dealers play the system by only possessing small amounts on their person, selling until they get caught (and released), then rotated out to another city by their cartel. The greater Seattle area is a $1.6 million a day drug market.

[04kL4nD]

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle...-use-of-drugs/

OLYMPIA — Washington lawmakers voted Tuesday in a special legislative session to raise the penalty for drug possession to a gross misdemeanor and criminalize public drug use.

The House voted 83 to 13 to pass Senate Bill 5536 Tuesday afternoon, several hours after the Senate approved the policy 43 to 6.

Its passage marks a key moment in the yearslong, thorny battle to figure out how the state’s legal system should treat drug possession as the state wrestles with a substance-use crisis. Public drug use would also be a gross misdemeanor under the bill, which Gov. Jay Inslee is expected to sign, according to his office.

In 2021, after a state Supreme Court decision threw out Washington’s felony drug possession statute, Washington passed a temporary law. It expires July 1, meaning lawmakers faced a deadline to decide whether to keep penalties in state law.

A gross misdemeanor falls in between a misdemeanor and a felony in state law, and typically comes with a penalty of up to 364 days in jail and an up to $5,000 fine. However, under the new bill, a person would face a maximum of 180 days in jail for first and second convictions for drug possession. Upon the third conviction, a person would face the higher maximum of 364 days.

I'm still mad about WA Cares passing, but this I can live with. WAYYYY better than what Oregon has going on...

[rantiquity]

Who is behind WA's drug/crime/homeless problems..
Simple answer...democrats/progressives/socialist
People voted for these problems when they supported democrats/progressives/socialist at the polls.

[04kL4nD]

Wait. Making public usage a gross misdemeanor and trying to funnel people into treatment programs instead of prison is just common sense and it doesn't need to be political (but of course it is).

Again, I don't Washington to become the next Portland or San Francisco so this absolutely a step in the right direction. If it were me, I'd make simple possession a citation, but I have a real problem with open air drug use/dealing since it's so harmful to communities.

[texasdiver]

WE should be building some new "rehab" prisons that are designed to both incarcerate and rehab.

I wouldn't necessarily send people for first possession offenses with nothing else. But so much other crime is drug associated. And any crime at all with a drug component (stealing cars, breaking into homes or businesses, etc. to get drug money) should land someone into a drug rehab prison for a year or so, mandatory.

Then have basically zero tolerance for unlawful anti-social criminal behavior of any kind from druggies.

[ukrkoz]

Well, here's an easy fix.
People stop buying drugs.
"cartel" has no customers, picks up his feces and moves over somewhere else.
Basic lack of demand = lack of supply.
So, maybe, instead, dedicate effort to conditioning people, from day one of their conscious life, to NOT be interested in drugs? No "freedoms" violated. Natural process of proper education. Personal choice. Will solve, same time, the "homeless" problem.
Too simple? Easier to blame on liberals, democrats, moon phases, monsoon, bad parents and what not?

[PhoenixSomeday]

Originally Posted by ukrkoz

Well, here's an easy fix.
People stop buying drugs.
"cartel" has no customers, picks up his feces and moves over somewhere else.
Basic lack of demand = lack of supply.
So, maybe, instead, dedicate effort to conditioning people, from day one of their conscious life, to NOT be interested in drugs? No "freedoms" violated. Natural process of proper education. Personal choice. Will solve, same time, the "homeless" problem.
Too simple? Easier to blame on liberals, democrats, moon phases, monsoon, bad parents and what not?

That's already how it was for me growing up in the 80s and 90s. School, TV, head-on-straight adults. It was all over the place. Same with smoking. But people start doing these things anyway, despite knowing all of this already.

[PS90]

Originally Posted by 04kL4nD

Wait. Making public usage a gross misdemeanor and trying to funnel people into treatment programs instead of prison is just common sense and it doesn't need to be political (but of course it is).

Again, I don't Washington to become the next Portland or San Francisco so this absolutely a step in the right direction. If it were me, I'd make simple possession a citation, but I have a real problem with open air drug use/dealing since it's so harmful to communities.

Yes, I agree, but there were multiple Democratic state lawmakers that were totally against any penalties for drug possession at all, which is why this failed in the normal session and required a special session of the legislature.

[PS90]

Originally Posted by ukrkoz

Well, here's an easy fix.
People stop buying drugs.
"cartel" has no customers, picks up his feces and moves over somewhere else.
Basic lack of demand = lack of supply.
So, maybe, instead, dedicate effort to conditioning people, from day one of their conscious life, to NOT be interested in drugs? No "freedoms" violated. Natural process of proper education. Personal choice. Will solve, same time, the "homeless" problem.
Too simple? Easier to blame on liberals, democrats, moon phases, monsoon, bad parents and what not?

Riiiiight... And as soon as we start telling people that smoking is bad and causes lung cancer, then no one will smoke...

[rkcarguy]

I don't have a problem with someone doing drugs....
It's when they inevitably lose their job and wind up homeless and:
1. They run your kids over going the wrong way down the highway at 100mph running from the police or crime scene.
2. They stab a middle school boy in the eye for his bicycle and the $20 his mom gave him for a Saturday afternoon movie.
3. They rob the stores blind to the point that they have to lock up everything, there is no shopping carts, and they have to raise prices 20%.
4. They OD repeatedly, tie up emergency services, end up in the hospital, attack the staff and other patients, cannot be refused service, and do not pay, reducing the quality and availability of medical care for the rest of us.
5. They crap, urinate in public, and leave needles and trash everywhere.
6. Break into your vehicle or home (again).
7. Stab/Shoot each other and/or innocent bystanders.
8. Would you like about 50 more?...