The Washington Supreme Court effectively decriminalized drug use two years ago, when it ruled that a state law making simple possession a felony even without evidence of intent or knowledge violated the right to due process. State legislators predictably viewed the result of that decision as intolerable, and they promptly approved a law that made possession a misdemeanor on the third offense and required that treatment be offered in lieu of punishment the first two times around.
That law is scheduled to expire on July 1, which prompted a bipartisan panic at the prospect that people might be able to use drugs without risking criminal penalties. During a special one-day legislative session convened this week to avoid that nightmare scenario, legislators approved a new bill criminalizing drug possession, which Gov. Jay Inslee immediately signed into law—"just in time," he says.
