XPost: alt.fan.rush-limbaugh, sac.politics, seattle.politics   
   XPost: talk.politics.guns   
   From: racist.soros.cultist@splcenter.org   
      
   On 11 Feb 2022, "Andrew Anglin - White Supremacist Pedo Boy"   
    posted some news:su60ng$16uq3$27@news.freedyn.de:   
      
   > Mighty Wannabe wrote   
   >   
   >> Washington is a bunch of idiots.   
      
   Washington lawmakers are in a race against the clock to keep their state   
   from becoming the second in the nation to decriminalize possession of hard   
   drugs.   
      
   Gov. Jay Inslee is calling lawmakers back for a special session Tuesday   
   after the legislature failed to reach an agreement on a new drug law   
   during the regular session.   
      
   WASHINGTON GOV SIGNS BIG GUN CONTROL PACKAGE, INCLUDING 'ASSAULT WEAPONS'   
   BAN: 'NO ONE NEEDS AN AR-15'   
      
   "We've known since last year that we needed to pass legislation regarding   
   this," state Rep. Peter Abbarno, a Republican, told Fox News. "It's pretty   
   unfortunate to find that the can had been kicked so far down the road."   
      
   The problem started in 2021 when the Washington Supreme Court struck down   
   the state's felony ban on drug possession as unconstitutional because it   
   did not include an intent requirement. Lawmakers temporarily made drug   
   possession a misdemeanor offense with the goal of coming up with a   
   permanent solution.   
      
   But that hasn't happened yet, and the misdemeanor law expires July 1.   
      
   Several bills addressing the issue were proposed, Abbarno said. Senate   
   Bill 5536, which would have made possession a gross misdemeanor, came the   
   closest to passing, but 15 Democrats joined all 40 Republicans in voting   
   it down on the final day of the legislative session.   
      
   It "didn't have teeth," Abbarno said of the bill. House Republicans argued   
   its jail diversion process was too lenient and would lead to a revolving   
   door of offenses.   
      
   Abbarno said his ideal drug possession bill would strike a balance between   
   "accountability and compassion."   
      
   "When I look around my community, I don't want to see somebody struggling   
   with addiction, merely just thrown in jail. I want them to have the   
   services they need," he said.   
      
   But he also wants to ensure "people are held accountable" for using and   
   possessing dangerous drugs like fentanyl.   
      
   OREGON LAWMAKERS CONSIDER CUTTING MILLIONS FROM ADDICTION SERVICES AFTER   
   DECRIMINALIZING DRUGS   
      
   As overdose rates skyrocketed and public drug use became commonplace in   
   many cities, some local governments have passed their own laws cracking   
   down on drugs. Marysville was the first city in the state to recriminalize   
   possession, and later passed another ordinance making public drug use an   
   arrestable offense.   
      
   If the state doesn't replace the misdemeanor law, Abbarno predicts a   
   "domino effect" of cities setting their own drug laws.   
      
   "I'm hoping that everyone's feet are held to the fire and we actually do   
   our job and come out of there with an agreement," he said.   
      
   Oregon, Washington's neighbor to the south, became the first state in the   
   country to decriminalize drug possession after voters approved Measure 110   
   in 2020.   
      
   But criticism of the law has grown as overdose deaths continue to   
   increase. An audit found the state's health authority could not provide   
   data showing how hundreds of millions of dollars earmarked for addiction   
   treatment were spent.   
      
   "You look at what communities and states are doing around you and see how   
   you can improve on it," Abbarno, who represents a district in southwest   
   Washington, said. "You don't often want to follow them down the rabbit   
   hole."   
      
   Special sessions last 30 days in Washington, but Inslee's office said   
   lawmakers should be able to finish within several days if they reach a   
   consensus.   
      
   The state legislature has already earmarked more than $600 million in new   
   spending on services for those with substance use disorders.   
      
   offroadtx060   
   16 May, 2023   
      
   It's been such a stellar success in Oregon. But the good news eventually   
   the problem solves itself.   
      
   Tony9080   
   16 May, 2023   
      
   Hand out free fentanyl and ban Narcan then it is a self correcting   
   problem.   
      
   magame640   
   16 May, 2023   
      
   Rampant drug use and decriminalization of possession but they have made   
   criminals of law abiding gun owners. Inslee has mismanaged the state at   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)