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Washington Drug Decriminalization and Substance Abuse Program Funding Initiative (2022)
| Washington Drug Decriminalization and Substance Abuse Program Funding Initiative | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 8, 2022 | |
| Topic Drug crime policy | |
| Status Not on the ballot | |
| Type State statute | Origin Citizens |
The Washington Drug Decriminalization and Substance Abuse Program Funding Initiative was not on the ballot in Washington as an Initiative to the People, a type of initiated state statute, on November 8, 2022.
The initiative would have decriminalized the possession of drugs and controlled substances and funded substance abuse prevention and treatment programs.[1]
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for this measure was as follows:[2]
| “ |
Initiative Measure No. 1922 concerns drug use treatment and penalties, and related funding. This measure would fund substance use disorder prevention, outreach, recovery, training, study, and public education; decriminalize drug possession but allow seizure and forfeiture; authorize vacation of certain drug-related convictions; and amend related laws. Should this measure be enacted into law? [3] |
” |
Ballot summary
The ballot summary for this measure was as follows:[2]
| “ |
This measure would decriminalize possession of controlled substances, legend drugs, or counterfeit drugs, while authorizing seizure and forfeiture; direct some marijuana taxes and other public funding to treatment and recovery services, law enforcement training, research, advisory committees, and public education; require law enforcement to provide information about outreach and engagement services; prescribe mechanisms for vacating certain drug-related convictions; preempt local laws; assign responsibility for private and public insurance of treatment services; and amend related laws. [3] |
” |
Full text
The full text of the initiative is available here.
Support
Commit to Change WA sponsored the initiative.[4][1]
Supporters
Commit to Change WA listed the following endorsements on its website. The full list of endorsements may be accessed here.
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Opposition
Ballotpedia did not identify committees, organizations, or individuals opposing the ballot initiative. If you are aware of any opponents or opposing arguments, please send an email with a link to editor@ballotpedia.org.
Polls
The following poll was conducted by FM3 Research in March 2022"[5]
| Washington Drug Decriminalization and Substance Abuse Program Funding Initiative (2022) | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Support | Oppose | Undecided | Margin of error | Sample size | ||||||||||||||
| FM3 Research poll 3/21/2022-3/27/2022 | 53.0% | 39.0% | 9.0% | +/-3.50 | 832 | ||||||||||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
Path to the ballot
The state process
In Washington, the number of signatures required to qualify a directly initiated state statute—called an Initiative to the People in Washington—for the ballot is equal to 8 percent of the votes cast for the office of governor at the last regular gubernatorial election. Initial filings for direct initiatives cannot be made more than 10 months before the general election at which their proposal would be presented to voters. Signatures must be submitted at least four months prior to the general election.
The requirements to get an Initiative to the People certified for the 2022 ballot:
- Signatures: 324,516 valid signatures
- Deadline: July 8, 2022
The secretary of state verifies the signatures using a random sample method. If the sample indicates that the measure has sufficient signatures, the measure is certified for the ballot. However, if the sample indicates that the measure has insufficient signatures, every signature is checked. Under Washington law, a random sample result may not invalidate a petition.
Details about this initiative
- Peter Danelo filed the initiative on March 11, 2022. Ballot language was issued for the measure on March 24, 2022.[1]
- In late June, the campaign said "We will not be moving forward to qualify Washington State Initiative Measure No. 1922 to the November 8th general election ballot. Signature gathering proved more challenging and prohibitively expensive than projected."[6]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Washington Secretary of State, "Proposed Initiatives to the 2022 People," accessed January 21, 2022
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Washington Secretary of State, "Ballot Title Letter for Initiative 1922," accessed May 3, 2022
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Commit to Change WA, "Home," accessed May 3, 2022
- ↑ FM3 Research, "Support for Drug Decriminalization in Washington State," accessed May 4, 2022
- ↑ Northwest Progressive Institute, "Initiative 1922 won’t qualify for November ballot, Commit to Change Washington says," accessed June 30, 2022
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State of Washington Olympia (capital) |
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