Jessie Stensland reports for the Whidbey News-Times from the Oak Harbor City Council meeting of Tue., Jun. 6, 2023.
Possession of illegal drugs and public drug use will become gross misdemeanor crimes in Oak Harbor on July 1, six weeks earlier than much of the rest of the state.
At the urging of Police Chief Kevin Dresker, the Oak Harbor City Council last week adopted a temporary drug ordinance that covers the gap between the expiration of the current state law and when the new law goes into effect completely on Aug. 15.
…Lawmakers adopted the new law after Gov. Jay Inslee called a special session last month. It raises the state’s penalty for simple drug possession to a gross misdemeanor and criminalizes public drug use.
Communities across the state have been grappling with the rising tide of drug abuse — with overdose deaths rising 17% last year — and the fallout from the state Supreme Court’s Blake decision in 2021, which ruled the state’s felony drug possession law unconstitutional…. The result was that drug possession [was] effectively decriminalized.
They Said It
The city’s ordinance is slightly stricter than the state’s new 48-page law, which Dresker said is a “muddled mess” but better than the current, expiring law.
Dresker pointed out that his officers made 50 drug possession arrests that ended in conviction in 2018 and only three in 2022.
For state lawmakers, finding a compromise on a permanent law proved to be difficult. Many lawmakers wanted to prioritize treatment over jail for simple possession while others, including Dresker, argue that people who are addicted often need to face a legal consequence before they will agree to treatment and change their lives.
“We want people to get treated,” he said. “Everybody does. It’s a question of how we get there.”
The chief pointed out that the city ordinance does not apply to juveniles while the new state law does.
Island County Prosecutor Greg Banks called the July 1 expiration of the current law “a non-event” with no change from the current state of non-enforcement. He sees no reason for the county to adopt an ordinance similar to the city’s.
“No one proposed or asked me to review a local drug ordinance,” he wrote in an email. “I think creating a county ordinance that would be effective for only six weeks would not be an effective use of county resources and not make any measurable difference in our drug problem.”
Banks said he is exploring diversion programs to accompany the new state law.
“We’ll be more focused on punishment in cases where people pose a risk to public safety and treatment where they don’t,” he said in an email.
On the Ballot in August 2023
| CITY OF OAK HARBOR |
|---|
| City Councilmember, Position 1 Tara Hizon, the incumbent |
| City Councilmember, Position 2 Andy Plumlee Patrick “Pat” Harman Chris Wiegenstein Incumbent Beth Munns did not file for re-election. |
| City Councilmember, Position 3 Eric Marshall, the incumbent |
| City Councilmember, Position 4 Wismine D’Avilar. (Ms. D’Availar has withdrawn, but will still appear on the ballot.) John Chaszar Barbara Armes Chris Wiegenstein, the incumbent, was appointed to this position after Filing Week closed. He had chosen to file for Position 2. |
| Mayor Craig Nurvic Nick Green Ronnie Wright Shane Hoffmire Incumbent Bob Severns did not file for re-election. |
