Official Daily Action for Friday, March 26, 2021

The Washington Supreme Court recently declared the state law against simple drug possession unconstitutional. Right now, it is not illegal to simply possess drugs on your person, in your house or in your car. The ruling does not change other drug crimes, like manufacture, sale or possession with intent to sell — those things are still felonies.

The case the ruling was based on, Washington State vs. Blake, hinged on the fact that Washington’s law, unlike other state drug possession laws, didn’t require the person being prosecuted to know about the drugs. It surprised many people in power that the whole law was declared unconstitutional, rather than just that part. There is already talk about a legislative “fix” to make drug possession illegal again. That should not happen.

Washington State, our state, was a leader in the movement to legalize marijuana. We know the harm the drug prohibition and the war on drugs has done. Millions of people – mostly Black and Brown people – have been imprisoned. Families have been broken up. Communities have been deeply disrupted. Police forces have grown to untenable sizes. Drug enforcement creates millions of police interactions with regular people, and we know that regular people who are not white are in danger in those interactions. It’s time to stop. Drug prohibition is a human rights issue. This decision has given our state an opportunity to lead again. Let’s not waste that opportunity on a “fix” to the current unjust law.

Our lawmakers should take the right, just, and moral stance by explicitly repealing our existing, unconstitutional drug possession law, and decriminalizing possession.

Today’s action is to let Governor Inslee and your State Reps and Senators know that drugs should not be re-criminalized.

• Gov. Inslee: 360-902-4111 (TTY/TDD call 711 or 1-800-833-6384) or https://www.governor.wa.gov/contact

• Legislative Hotline: 1-800-562-6000 (TTY for Hearing Impaired 800.833.6388)

• Find your state officials and call or email them directly: https://app.leg.wa.gov/districtfinder/

Script

Hi, I’m [name] from [city, zip]. Our state supreme court recently decided that the state law against simple possession of drugs is unconstitutional. This gives our state a wonderful opportunity to continue to lead in ending the failed war on drugs, like we did with marijuana legalization. It gives us an opportunity to free people who are currently imprisoned, reduce contacts with police that are dangerous for black and brown Washingtonians, and to begin to heal our communities that have been impacted by the war on drugs. It also offers an opportunity to reduce spending on police and jails when our state budget is stretched thin by COVID response. Today, I’m asking you to choose NOT to re-criminalize simple drug possession in Washington State. Specifically, do not push for a legislative “fix” to the current law this session, and start work for next session on explicitly repealing the existing, unconstitutional possession law and ending the war on drugs, with all its damage, in Washington State. Thank you.

Background

• Local coverage in the South Seattle Emerald: https://southseattleemerald.com/2021/03/05/with-washingtons-drug-possession-law-gone-lawmakers-at-odds-over-next-steps/

• National coverage in Slate: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/03/washington-supreme-court-drug-possession-police-biden.amp

• The Supreme Court Opinion: https://www.courts.wa.gov/opinions/pdf/968730.pdf

• ACLU on drug decriminalization: https://www.aclu.org/other/against-drug-prohibition

Event

Seattle Indivisible Monthly Meeting

Wednesday, April 7, 6:30-8:00 PM
https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/380443/

Featured Speakers:

• Deaunte Damper – Chair of Black Lives Matter Seattle King County & member of our Advisory Council – will recap the state legislative session and let us know what we can do to make sure the fight for Black lives remains front and center in our work moving forward.

• Kevin Jones – Indivisible Vashon & Washington Indivisible Network – on the 2022 Election and how to keep control.