In a 5-4 vote, the Seattle City Council voted to reject a proposal by City Attorney Ann Davison and sponsored by Councilmembers Sara Nelson and Alex Pedersen. The proposal would have given the city attorney the authority to prosecute drug possession and public drug use cases. We were in strong support of this proposal to align the city with state law.
After the vote, the Seattle Hotel Association and the Seattle Restaurant Alliance released a joint statement:
“We are disappointed the council failed to align city law with the recent bipartisan action of the Washington State Legislature. We support increased investments in substance abuse treatment options, but there also need to be consequences for public drug use on the streets of Seattle. Passage of this common-sense ordinance to disrupt the sales of fentanyl and methamphetamine would have significantly reduced the devastating impact these deadly substances are having on the health and lives of individuals and the sense of safety in our shared public spaces. Today’s lack of action by the council majority will once again be harmful to our local community.”
Read the story in the Seattle Times.