Washington state to decriminalize drugs unless lawmakers act

SEATTLE (AP) — Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is calling lawmakers back to work after they rejected a bill setting out a new statewide drug policy. Lawmakers adjourned their regular session late last month after voting down a bill that would keep drug possession illegal and boost services for people struggling with addiction. Inslee has called that unacceptable, and on Tuesday (May 2, 2023) he set a special legislative session beginning May 16, 2023, to give them another chance. A temporary law that makes possession of small amounts of drugs a misdemeanor expires in July, so if lawmakers fail to pass a bill, Washington would become the second state — after Oregon — to decriminalize drug possession.