Burien program sees success helping those in crisis avoid jail
The Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion program in Burien aims to keep certain offenders out of jail and into community-based treatment and support services. Author: KING 5 Staff Updated: 4:47 PM PDT May 13, 2021
BURIEN, Wash. Lawmakers recently approved an overhaul of Washington’s approach to drug possession after the Washington Supreme Court struck down its previous law as unconstitutional.
The bill makes simple possession of controlled substances a gross misdemeanor instead of a felony, and mandates that local governments provide treatment options. While the state will provide funding for the treatment, each local jurisdiction will have to figure out its own plan.
Washington s 2-year experiment under new drug possession law
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The legislative âfixâ to Washington stateâs drug possession laws takes effect once Governor Jay Inslee signs it. That new law makes simple drug possession a misdemeanor, and funds development of a statewide framework for treatment and recovery.
It also requires police to steer people with substance use disorders away from jail and towards those new services. Burien has already adopted that approach, but business owners are getting frustrated with the outcomes.
Possessing small amounts of drugs including heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine has effectively been decriminalized in Washington state since February, when the state supreme court threw out the existing felony drug law in its âBlakeâ decision.