SPOKANE, Wash. — Monday night, city council will vote on an emergency drug ordinance. If approved, it would make public drug use illegal in Spokane.
“It will be beneficial for all of Spokane and it’s so needed,” ordinance supporter Christine Quinn said.
According to the ordinance, enforcement could include an alternative to arrest.
That alternative would allow law enforcement to offer treatment or community resource instead of a citation or referral to the prosecutor.
Compassionate Addiction Treatment executive director Hallie Burchinal said including this in the ordinance is a step in the right direction for Spokane.
“Recovery can really be a spiral," Burchinal said. "You spiral up as you make steps forward, but things can occur to make you take a couple steps back a few. So if we address this in a way that humanizes substance-use disorders we're allowing people an opportunity to move through that process and an opportunity to continue to grow in the way that is working for them, rather than going straight to jail.”
According to the ordinance, this is considered an emergency ordinance because it is needed for the "immediate preservation of public safety."
Christine Quinn lives in the West Hills neighborhood. She said the ordinance is beneficial for Spokane, as a whole.
She said it’s important city-level leaders step up to fill in state-level gaps.
“What’s happening is the state has failed to take action and communities are having to do this on their own," Quinn said. "Bellingham passed an ordinance and four other cities have. It’s time for us to take control.”
Washington state laws around drug possession are set to expire after June 30. Lawmakers could not come to an agreement during the legislative session on a permanent statewide drug policy.
Governor Jay Inslee called a special session to begin May 16 to bring lawmakers back together to discuss drug possession in Washington.
Council president Breean Beggs said there’s potential for the ordinance to be preempted following the Governor’s special session.
For now, if this ordinance passes, it will go into effect immediately.
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