Following the Sep. 12 Seattle City Council committee vote and approval of Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell’s legislation to align the city code with the state’s Blake fix, Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Rachel Smith issued the following statement:
“The intent of today’s City Council vote on the approach to public drug use and possession in our community was clear: help people get treatment and enforce the law. We agree.
Today was a first step. We hope the final legislation will be simple and effective, and we expect the practical, real-world application of the law to make good on the intent. That means that in the coming months we will see more people in treatment, fewer people on the streets, and a slowing in the pace of overdoses. These are the measures of success.”
