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Washington Supreme Court stands by ruling striking down drug possession law

The ruling left Washington without a prohibition on possession of small amounts of controlled substances.

SEATTLE — Editor's note: The above video previously aired on KING 5 in March 2021.

The Washington Supreme Court is standing by its decision striking down the state's drug possession law, as lawmakers rush to address it. 

The court on Tuesday rejected a request from the state to reconsider its February ruling, in which a 5-4 majority said the law was unconstitutional because it did not require prosecutors to prove that a defendant knowingly or intentionally possessed drugs. 

The ruling left Washington without a prohibition on possession of small amounts of controlled substances.

Lawmakers have been struggling with how to respond. Some want to re-criminalize drug possession, while others hope to use the ruling to adopt an approach that emphasizes treatment, not incarceration.

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