KING COUNTY — New drug use statistics released by the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s office show just how prevalent the fentanyl crisis has been so far this year.
King County says that it has filed 200 drug dealing cases this year. Almost 70% of these cases involved methamphetamine or fentanyl which is a 39% increase from the same time last year. Out of those 200 cases, 22 also had a firearm charge.
Overdose data is provided by Public Health – Seattle and King County and shows there have been 825 confirmed drug overdose deaths this year. Of those 825 deaths, 704 involved opioids, 443 involved meth, and 682 involved fentanyl according to the dashboard. Last year, there were a total of 802 deaths involving opioids, 532 involving meth, and 712 involving fentanyl.
Faced with these increasing overdose numbers, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office says they will continue to prosecute the people who deal illegal drugs in our communities.
“For my part, I am committed to holding drug dealers accountable because their actions and behaviors harm individuals and our communities. The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charges those who deal with fentanyl and other drugs because this behavior is illegal and causes harm,” said prosecuting attorney Leesa Manion. ”The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office will continue to prosecute the people who deal fentanyl and other illegal drugs in our communities.”
Manion acknowledges that while this new legislation might get users off the streets, there also needs to be recovery programs for those people once they are in the system. This part of the plan is crucial as Seattle and other municipalities are responsible for their own cities when it comes to misdemeanor drug possession cases.
“I agree with Mayor Harrell that updating the Seattle Municipal Code to align with the recently passed state law makes sense, as does demonstrating how this additional tool will be applied and how it fits in the broader spectrum of treatment and diversion options,” said Manion.
The King County Drug Court was started in 1994 by Republican Norm Maleng and King County Superior Court Judge Ricardo Martinez. This program is available to adults who have been charged with any other lower-level and nonviolent drug-related crimes. The 10 months help the participants rebuild their lives by addressing the causes of their criminal choices.
The most recent class graduation was Aug. 9 and involved five graduates.
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