SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES

Dori: LEAD program expansion means drugs are legal in King County

Sep 12, 2018, 5:11 AM

LEAD program...

(SPD)

(SPD)

Drugs are now legal in King County. Every drug is now legalized in King County, thanks to the expansion of the LEAD program.

The prosecutor’s office won’t phrase it that way, but that is the practical effect of this LEAD program announcement on Tuesday afternoon. If you have a small amount of any drug — heroin, meth, crack — you will not be prosecuted. Every single drug is legal in King and Snohomish Counties.

Does anybody think we’re on the right path? Is there anyone in their right mind who believes that legalizing heroin and meth is the right path? Look at how our schools and our playgrounds are filled with used heroin needles.

RELATED: Seattle is the drug capital of the United States

If you make our region the path of least resistance for drug use in the United States of America, of course all the drug users are going to come here. They could be sent to jail for possessing a small amount of meth in Texas, or they could hop a Greyhound to Seattle or Everett, where they have zero chance of being prosecuted, as long as it’s below a gram of meth.

I’ve said this a million times — we could spend a billion dollars on homelessness. But as long as we embrace policies that make us the moth lamp for drug users around the country, no matter how fast we build housing, we are going to have more drug addicts who have embraced living on the street coming into this region than we could ever have moved off the street by building housing.

They claim they are going to save more lives with this LEAD program. No, you’re going to bring more people who are on the pathway to killing themselves to our region.

We are on the wrong path. The more lenient we get, the more we are going to attract drug users from around the United States. That is a fact.

FILE - A sign stands in former U.S. Marine Kevin Haynes' yard, June 29, 2017, in High Point, N.C. (...

Associated Press

America’s story intertwined with its military history, but a military-civilian disconnect persists

NEW YORK (AP) — The realization brought Qwynn Galloway-Salazar to tears. She was looking for civilian work two decades ago after leaving the Army Reserves, but what she saw was the disconnect between her and the panel of interviewers. As a Black woman, she didn’t fit the stereotypes of who veterans were or what military […]

19 minutes ago

Shabana Basij-Rasikh, co-founder and president of the School of Leadership, Afghanistan (SOLA), pos...

Associated Press

After fleeing Afghanistan to continue educating girls, SOLA opens a permanent school in Rwanda

Shabana Basij-Rasikh smiles as she points to the sign in the middle of campus: School of Leadership of Afghanistan, SOLA, a home in Rwanda. The sign, like the campus, is virtually brand new – with classes beginning for the first time later this month. It is a declaration, but also a symbol of the danger […]

20 minutes ago

Bite of Seattle shooting mayor katie wilson...

Frank Lenzi

After Bite of Seattle shooting, SPD must now update media within 1 hour of any major incident

Seattle is updating its public safety communication rules in the wake of July’s Bite of Seattle shooting that left three people dead and four others wounded. Mayor Katie Wilson announced Tuesday that she and Interim Police Chief Andre Sayles will be in direct contact during any significant incident. The Seattle Police Department (SPD) is expected […]

41 minutes ago

Bite of Seattle shooting gang katie wilson...

Madeline Ottilie, KIRO 7 News

Seattle police ‘closing in’ on two people of interest in Bite of Seattle Shooting

Seattle police are “closing in” on two people of interest connected to the Bite of Seattle shooting that left three people dead more than a month ago.

1 hour ago

seahawks mcdonald's meal...

MyNorthwest Staff

Seahawks’ AJ Barner takes over Renton McDonald’s drive-thru to announce bobblehead meal

Seattle Seahawks tight end AJ Barner took over a McDonald's drive-thru window in Renton on Tuesday, handing out complimentary cans of Red Bull to customers.

3 hours ago

portland parallel parking competition...

Jake Skorheim and Spike O'Neill Show

‘A lot of bragging going on’: Jake, Spike plan their own parallel parking showdown after Portland’s viral competition

Jake and Spike plan to take on Portland's parallel parking competition after its viral success, with both believing they are the superior parker.

3 hours ago

Dori: LEAD program expansion means drugs are legal in King County