About 2 a.m. on March 5, 2022, Seattle medics and police responded to a name a few 2-year-old lady who had ingested fentanyl.
The daddy mentioned his daughter had taken tablets saved in a diaper bag, which included different drug paraphernalia. As a result of he was involved about excellent warrants, he waited about half-hour earlier than flagging somebody to name 911.
The kid was rushed to Seattle Youngsters’s hospital and police reviews point out she was stabilized. Her 39-year-old father was booked into jail and charged with a misdemeanor. He pleaded responsible and spent two months in jail.
State little one endangerment legislation makes such unintentional or negligent poisonings a felony — however provided that the incident concerned methamphetamine.
A invoice now in Olympia would change that, particularly including fentanyl.
In case you thought that such a proposal can be uncontroversial, guess once more. Lawmakers danger permitting ideological grudge matches to get in the way in which of defending children.
Of the 56 incidents involving unintentional ingestions and overdoses by kids in Washington in 2022, 24 concerned children 11 years previous or youthful. Fentanyl was the commonest drug concerned in these incidents, in keeping with a state report final yr.
In a joint letter to legislators, Seattle Metropolis Lawyer Ann Davison and King County Prosecutor Leesa Manion urged lawmakers to make this variation. They famous that an grownup will be tried for felony manslaughter if a baby dies from intentional fentanyl publicity. Nonetheless, if the kid is significantly harmed or endangered, the Prosecutor’s Workplace can’t file felony costs as a result of fentanyl will not be included beneath the 2002 legislation that pertains solely to methamphetamine.
They wrote: “On this quick legislative session, we ask you to behave with urgency to safeguard the lives of youngsters and shut this hole in our state prison legislation.”
On Jan. 24, the state Senate handed SB 5010 to particularly embrace fentanyl within the endangerment legislation by 48-1, with solely state Sen. Rebecca Saldaña, D- Seattle, voting nay.
However Manion and Davison’s pitch is falling on deaf ears within the Home Neighborhood Security, Justice, & Reentry Committee, the place the committee chair predicts it’s sure to die.
“I actually don’t have one vote for that invoice on my committee,” mentioned Rep. Roger Goodman, D-Kirkland, committee chair.
“An amazing variety of my colleagues within the Home Democratic Caucus don’t wish to criminalize dad and mom. The struggle on medication has clearly failed. Substance use issues are on the root of this and individuals are not going to cease as a result of they’re addicted. The prison penalty solely makes it worse for everybody.”
Labeling each public security measure on illicit substances as a part of a discredited struggle on medication is simplistic and doesn’t mirror the horrible toll of the present epidemic.
A toddler injured from unintentional publicity to fentanyl ought to be taken with the utmost seriousness by legislation enforcement and others. Ready for a kid to die earlier than felony costs will be thought of is unacceptable.
In the end, this debate is about how our state considers the well-being of youngsters. Defending children should be paramount in each coverage determination.
