EVERETT, Wash. — On Wednesday night, a North Sound city will weigh a couple of options to address a long-standing problem — public drug use.
Everett city councilmembers will look at statewide efforts and a more local solution to public drug use by criminalizing the acts.
A man who said he’s lived with addiction for most of his life said Everett’s Broadway Avenue is an open-air drug market.
“I’ve been a drug addict since I was 17 years old,” he said.
This man, who chose to withhold his name, now 40, said he’s lived with opioids in his life longer than without. He also said many who live with addiction throughout Snohomish County are funneled right to where he is now.
“Just like Seattle or just like Tacoma, you’re going to get kids coming to the city to find drugs. Their cul-de-sac doesn’t have an open-air drug market, you know? Broadway is an open-air drug market, Everett Ave.,” he explained. He continued, “Every town is a fentanyl town.”
A bit of crumpled foil on Broadway Avenue shows just that. Everett councilmembers have taken note and are possibly taking steps to address the problem with two means to the same end of the table.
“We have tons of public safety calls to address people who are in distress from addiction and overdoses,” Everett’s Community Development Director Julie Willie said.
At the state level, Senate Bill 5536 has made its way through the Senate and House chambers but still has more steps before it becomes law. It’ll make knowingly having and using controlled substances publicly a misdemeanor. Police would connect people with intervention services instead of a jail cell.
“In the city of Everett, if by chance the state doesn’t make these changes, our mayor is asking we move forward with a city ordinance that will give us those tools so we have ways to legally address the issues of public consumption,” Willie added.
Councilmembers won’t vote on the measures at Wednesday’s meeting; to those at the center of the discussion, if and when the votes happen, it may not be enough.
“Not in Everett. I think that’s going to be a country-wide something that happens. It’s going to take a lot more than just the city of Everett to curb drug use in this town,” the man said.
Senate Bill 5536 passed the House Chamber Tuesday with amendments. The bill with the new amendments has to be voted on again by the Senate before it goes to the governor’s desk.
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