Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Everett council adopts ordinance making exposure of minors to fentanyl a local offense; supporters and opponents urge caution
Summary
The Everett City Council voted to adopt an ordinance creating a municipal offense for exposing minors to controlled substances including fentanyl. Supporters said it gives prosecutors tools; critics in public comment warned criminalization could harm families and push parents away from services.
The Everett City Council adopted ordinance 2602-08 on March 11, adding a chapter to the municipal code to address endangerment of minors through exposure to controlled substances, including fentanyl.
City Attorney Lacy Offer briefed the council and explained legal context. "This is a class B felony to expose a minor to methamphetamine," Offer said in describing the historical statutory framework, and noted the local ordinance seeks to address similar harms from other high-potency synthetic opioids not previously covered at the state level. Detective Pursel and city prosecutors discussed prosecutorial discretion and diversion options available at the municipal level.
During public comment, Cara Wetszelchub, a contract social worker with the Snohomish County Office of Public Defense, urged the council to oppose criminalization of parents for infant or child exposure to fentanyl. "Punishing parents is not child-centered," Wetszelchub said, arguing that criminal penalties can drive parents away from health care, treatment and services and that family-court and diversion tools are available to protect children while supporting parents.
Council members discussed the ordinance in light of prior state law, which singled out methamphetamine in part because of public-safety risks associated with on-site manufacturing; staff noted fentanyl and other synthetic opioids pose similar exposure risks in households. Council approved the ordinance on a roll-call vote.
What the ordinance does and next steps: The ordinance creates a municipal code offense addressing endangerment with controlled substances as described in the adopted text. City attorneys and prosecutors told council the municipal charge permits a range of prosecutorial responses, including diversion and treatment pathways, citing that municipal prosecution allows more flexible sentencing and alternatives than felony-level cases. Council did not eliminate alternatives such as diversion or treatment; the staff discussion emphasized prosecutorial discretion and availability of alternative courts and treatment programs.
The council recorded a unanimous vote in favor of the ordinance at the meeting.
