Keep it up! Your emails are making a difference; more Council Members willing to outlaw drug possession. Here’s the ordinance….

The Council will be discussing a new drug law at Monday’s Committee of the Whole meeting at 5:45 PM, and then again at the Council Meeting at 7:00.  The agenda for the Committee of the Whole can be found here, and the agenda for the Council Meeting (where you can comment) can be found here. The proposed drug ordinance can be found here, with a staff presentation about it here.

Emails to Renton City Hall from Renton residents who want to make possession of addictive drugs like fentanyl, meth, and heroine illegal are now significantly outnumbering Seattle-centric emails encouraging decriminalization. And many of you have also been outspoken about your positions at public meetings, one-on-one conversations with officials, and social media.  Renton residents have shown immense support for criminalizing possession of these deadly drugs, even while Renton’s 11th district Senator Bob Hasegawa voted along with a majority of the Washington State Legislature not to criminalize possession of these drugs last month.

As a result of your public outcry, up to six, possibly even all seven, Renton Council members are now showing willingness to criminalize possession of these dangerous drugs.  As I explained in this earlier blog entry, criminalizing possession of hard drugs is important to saving lives; the new law will encourage those who are addicted to seek assistance in getting sober, while ensuring Renton does not become a drug trafficking and recruiting center as one of the only cities in the country where possession of fentanyl and other drugs is legal (most of the rest of the cities and counties in Washington are making these drugs illegal).  Note that unlike marijuana and magic mushrooms in Oregon, the Washington Legislature decriminalized fentanyl and other hard drugs without any state-sanctioned supply chain, leaving it up to cartels to fill the needs of those addicted.

At the Kennydale Neighborhood Association meeting on Tuesday, Kennydale residents overwhelmingly made it clear they wanted these drugs to be illegal, and they supported our Mayor’s efforts to control them.  Mayor Pavone had not been scheduled to speak on the topic, but at the residents’ prompting he answered questions about the proposed new drug law, including explaining the complicated background that got us to this point.  Mayor Pavone appeared surprised when Council Member Kim-Khanh Van told the residents in attendance that she would support criminalizing possession.  Following the meeting Mayor Pavone told me this was the first time he heard her give such assurance.  In a recent issue of the Renton Reporter, Council Member Kim-Khanh Van was quoted using the phrases “over-policing” and “fear of law enforcement” just three days after she punted the topic of legislating drug policy out of her Public Safety Committee.

One of the details that may end up being debated by council are the offense levels for public drug use, drug possession, and drug paraphernalia crimes under the new Renton law.  These are all proposed as gross misdemeanors, which carry a maximum penalty of 364 days in jail and fine of $5000.  For reference, a minor in possession of alcohol is also a gross misdemeanor under Washington law.  First time offenders and infrequent offenders will virtually never be sentenced to the maximum penalty, and in the case of the new drug law they will be given an alternative to complete treatment instead of a fine and/or jail sentence.  Note that the maximum offense level a city can assign is a gross misdemeanor.

Some letters Council has received have asked that these crimes be treated as simple misdemeanors, which carry a maximum jail sentence of 90 days.

Note that all trafficking and drug dealing offences are already felonies under State and Federal law.  As felonies, these crimes carry maximum sentences over a year, and in the most serious cases prison sentences can extend for decades.  These laws were not impacted by the “Blake Decision,” as there is no question that a drug dealer knows they are dealing, unlike in the “Blake” ruling where someone in possession may not know they are in possession (such as a situation where someone borrows a coat, and unknown to them there are pills in the pocket).

The new Renton possession law requires “knowing” possession in order for it to be a crime.

Our community owes gratitude to Mayor Armondo Pavone, Council President Valerie O’Halloran, and Council Members Ruth Perez and James Alberson for unwavering public support of making possession of these drugs illegal during this whole episode.

While the tendencies of the Council are looking supportive at this time, this is not a time to let up in making your voices heard.  The Council is still being lobbied by those opposed to criminalization of these drugs (who often live outside our city), and Renton residents should keep making their opinions known no matter where they stand on this issue.

The easiest way to communicate with Council is to send an email to council@rentonwa.gov.   It’s also important to have public comment at the council meeting; it’s a chance to thank those council members who are supporting the community on this issue, and an opportunity to counter potential testimony from the other side.  If you are able to make public comment, you can find the details here.  (Please see the agenda to see how to sign up in advance to speak to the Council.)