KING COUNTY, Wash. — Starting July 1, it will no longer be a crime to possess illicit drugs under Washington state law, after lawmakers failed to come to an agreement on Sunday before the legislative session's end.
But the fentanyl crisis remains and now city and county leaders are scrambling to pass their own ordinances; leaders like Auburn Mayor Nancy Backus.
"We have already been talking about, with our city attorney, what more we might be able to do," Backus said.
According to King County’s most recently available data from 2021, one of the regions with the highest number of lethal drug overdoses was South Auburn.
Backus told KING 5, "I’ve seen people shoot up out here on the corner outside of City Hall, or on the backside of City Hall. It breaks my heart. That’s what worries me every day.”
In Maple Valley, city leaders participated in meetings throughout the early evening Tuesday to discuss how to equip their local police force after the state law expires.
"I don’t want to use the word 'rush meetings,' but we’re having, you know, extra meetings now, to come up with this policy moving forward," said Sean Kelly, Maple Valley mayor.
Still, Kelly said he would have to make changes to his city budget in order to add an ordinance of this magnitude, so he is hoping the state steps back in soon.
"I'm really hoping that our legislators will come back together and work on something before July 1," Kelly said.
Even though King County Executive Dow Constantine expressed his belief in more treatment options, he said he is looking toward state legislators.
"There likely wouldn’t be significant expansion of critical drug treatment or jail diversion programming to accompany local actions, as was contemplated by the legislative proposal," Constantine said. "While the Crisis Care Centers proposal helps to fill a gap in the system of crisis response, it is not a solution for the legislature’s inaction on passing a drug possession bill."
There is still a possibility that Governor Jay Inslee calls a special session to get legislators to pass something on drug possession.
"They ought to be able to do that," Inslee said on Tuesday. "I insist that they do that. I’ll be talking with leaders here in about 15 minutes on that subject. We've got to get this job done."
In the meantime at the county level, a King County spokesperson said Councilmember Reagan Dunn will be introducing legislation against drug use Wednesday morning.
In Snohomish County, a councilmember said Sunday he plans to propose a similar ordinance as well.