‘Different approach’ from Seattle mayor looks to put $27 million toward fighting drug crisis

SEATTLE — Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell has announced a new set of actions that will invest $27 million dollars aimed at lowering overdose deaths while providing options for recovery.

In 2023 so far, Seattle Police have seized nearly two million fentanyl pills, enough for everyone in Seattle to overdose.

The bill the mayor proposed would ensure that money goes towards facilities, treatments, and services to address the opioid crisis with a “first-of-its-kind” emphasis on diversion programs. Harrell also announced an additional proposal to codify state law making all public drug use a gross misdemeanor. He says that this will connect drug users to services while keeping residents safe in public places.

This plan is in response to the increasing overdose rates which rose 72% from 2021 to 2022 in Seattle, with the majority being attributed to methamphetamine and fentanyl.

Even though the new legislation will make public drug consumption a misdemeanor, Harrell has made it clear that the incarceration of drug users is not the goal.

“Success will not – and cannot – be measured on how many people cycle through jail; instead, our focus is on improving connections to lifesaving treatment and expanding program options to better meet the needs of those with substance use issues,” Harrell said in a written release. “Today’s announcements represent important steps forward toward a safer, healthier Seattle, as we continue to act with urgency to build out a bold health-first approach, help those in need, curtail impacts of public drug consumption, and hold dealers and traffickers accountable.”

That’s part of what Harrell describes as an approach based on diversion and treatment rather than sending people to jail.

Next week Harrell plans on providing guidance to Seattle Police Department officers on how the law should be applied while defining tools to measure success.

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