“However, bill sponsor State Senator Lynda Wilson (R-Vancouver) repeated some of the more dubious claims about the dangers of fentanyl, including that in some cases people overdose just from touching the drug.”

If fentanyl isn’t that “dangerous”, then how are these kids (including the cited 18 month old) overdosing?

Also, any bill in that passes 47-0 in this political climate can’t be that bad.

It's already pretty easy to upcharge to a felony; my spouse was on a jury last week for a case that was a felony due to occurring within 1000' of a school bus stop. See if you can find anywhere in any municipality that is not within 1000' of a school bus stop (not that school bus stops are labeled in any way)

Last week TS advocated for letting junkies continue to put other people kids in danger and now we have a post defending the right of junkies to put their own kids in danger. If we don't give a shit about kids then I'm honestly curious if there is anything a junkie could do that TS would finally see as crossing a line and condemn their choices and behavior? Voting for Ann Davis maybe?

“…raising questions about when the state should treat people for drug addiction rather than punish them for it.”

Thankfully, State Senator Manka Dhingra (D-Redmond) resolved those questions quite easily:

“A person hurting themselves with drugs is different from a person’s drug use endangering the lives of vulnerable children or adults, she said.”

Of course, this was completely lost on the Stranger; as @7 recalls, it was just last week the Stranger seriously argued drug users should be allowed to harm random children. (Or, at least, be given a chance to harm random children. Won’t someone please give drug users more chances, and not think of the children?)

I am an old person (relatively speaking). My experience with drugs ended around 1990, and never went farther than pot (Although I knew several people who had heroin addictions, and was unfortunate enough to deal with many people who had meth addictions).

I am completely mystified by the concept of a fentanyl addiction, but that is because the media implies that even one encounter with it results in death.

We have a heroin dealer and fentanyl addict in the family. How is anyone saying it’s use is ok and misunderstood? This is gross.

Last week The Stranger writes an article ripping parents who want an encampment cleared out so their their kids to be safe while going to and from school. This week it criticizes a bill that passed the state senate 47-0 — 47-0!!!!! — in response to kids being poisoned by fentanyl.

To those who work at The Stranger and have decided to write and and approve the publication of this stuff: there’s still time to reassess and do something worthwhile with your life. It’s not too late!

@6 - Oh, come on. The parents of those kids who shoot themselves are just suffering from firearm dependency disorder. It's not their fault they were born with tiny genitals.