Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber announcement.
Public safety and the perceptions of safety have risen to be one of the top issues facing Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber members, their employees, and our residents here in the South Sound. The scale of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and open drug use in our region and state necessitates that the legislature takes action to create a consistent statewide policy for drug use and possession. If the legislature fails, it will be chaos, as each jurisdiction tries to evaluate and pass its own set of laws that will undoubtedly be different from their neighbors. The challenges in implementing each of these individual laws will likely drive even more confusion around what is and is not acceptable from both criminal justice and public health perspectives. We know that the lack of consistent expectations drives concerns for businesses, law enforcement, and the community at large.
Our community needs to support individuals with behavioral health conditions with treatment options. We also need to provide a robust crisis response system and to address the very real public safety issues that come alongside the use of dangerous drugs. The Chamber stands ready to find solutions as evidenced by our continued support of both Tacoma and Pierce County’s measures to increase funding to address mental health and chemical dependency issues.
A patchwork approach to laws regulating drug use and possession across the state will result in more deaths and more damage to our communities. However, this is exactly what will happen if the state legislature fails to take action. The Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber supports a responsible statewide approach that balances accountability, treatment, and consequences. Possession and use of illegal drugs must result in a criminal penalty while at the same time providing a strong focus on diversion options.
Our communities need the legislature to provide a solution that encourages our neighbors to participate in treatment programs while also emphasizing broad community safety. The Chamber, our members, and our community are confident our elected leaders will not let us down.
Why are people so determined to continue in a way that has not worked in at least 50 years? You catch somebody with drugs, you make them a felon, and you expect the recidivism rate to go down.? What kind of sense does that make? Drug rehabs these days have approximately a 1 in 20 rate of success. That would be unacceptable in any other part of our lives! If one in 20 cars failed, there would be a revamping of the whole automotive industry. If one in 20 people died after visiting the hospital there would be a revamping of the entire medical system. Only one thing that I can think of has worse odds than that, that people continue to do, is gambling. And that’s what’s happening with the drug rehab system now. They are gambling with people’s lives with no consequences to face it doesn’t succeed. They just get more money thrown at them. Why would you want to change any of that if you were the rehabs? Your clientele base might go down your funding might go down. So there’s no incentive to come up with new ways of dealing with addiction. Obviously the system is absolutely broken. Do you really think that people’s lives should be destroyed simply because they did some drugs and got caught? What if it was ? Alcohol kills more people than fentanyl every year and has for hundreds of years. But you don’t go to prison and become a felon for drinking! And if you did I bet the entire country would go crazy to change the laws! And by the way alcohol is a drug! Alcohol consumption in United States is at 63% of the entire population. While illegal drug use is at 13% of the entire population. 140,000 people a year die from alcohol. And 106, 000 people a year die from illegal drugs. What is wrong with this picture? We should look at Portugal and some other places and take the best of what’s working there and start using it here. Continuing to make people criminals with the background that keeps them from being a productive person in society is not the way. Locking people up has not worked for the last 100 years. Why do we think that it’s going to work now when it didn’t work then? The idea of continuing to do the same thing and expecting a different result it’s called Insanity. So let’s quit with the insanity and start really trying to find a way that works!
I don’t agree. I think the Washington State Legislature WILL let all of us down by legalizing drug use and possession thereby increasing criminal activity. We will have more assaults, break ins, theft, burglaries, car prowling, and carjackings.
Let’s hope they do respond positively. Our safety as citizens is paramount. Please act now.
The government has no business telling anyone what to do with their bodies. You, I, nor any (un)elected rep is included in that. Examine what makes you think you have the right to tell another adult what to do with this bodies.
Now, if you were to completely decriminalize drugs, there are other options to help. Increase the penalties for actual crime if drugs are used in conjunction. IE, you’re a junkie who has to steal to support your preferred habit. Great! Get caught stealing, anything, and it’s a felony.
The war on drugs is a failure. Drug laws are unenforceable. In the most draconian societies of today’s Earth, drugs are still there. They always have and always will be. Stop spending money making people criminals by stroke of pen and start spending that money on education and real, quality treatment. Schick Shadel had a spectacular success rate, even with opioids, but that was science based (scary!) and the government shut downs killed that business.
Don’t feed the bears. Don’t tell people what to do. Don’t take my stuff.
Drug addiction, both “legal” and illicit, has spun up into a massive bureaucratic industry, that is fueled almost entirely by tax dollars.
The criminal justice system, homeless outreach, public housing, public health care, and endless other public programs, are costing us our own opportunities to thrive.
Then there is the direct cost we all pay in higher prices due to theft and damage by those who steal and destroy, not to mention list productivity by all.
This has made for a deranged and dangerous world that fails to even make sense anymore.
The answer of our far-left “elected” leadership? Pass laws prohibiting the importation, sale, or transfer of guns (ownership is next) – but only for the law-abiding citizens, while criminals get the revolving door treatment.
It would seem that the addicts and their enablers have managed to take over our executive, judicial and legislative process.
Unlimited access to tax payer dollars is perhaps the greatest addiction around here.
The fully subsidized life of addiction has zero incentive to sober up.