Report also found 53 of 210 people prosecuted under the ordinance are Black, making Black Seattleites 4.1 times more likely to face charges than their white neighbors

SEATTLE – Following the two-year anniversary of the adoption of Seattle’s ordinance to criminalize drug possession and public use, the King County Department of Public Defense (DPD) issued a report analyzing the ordinance’s effectiveness in achieving city leaders’ stated goal of compelling people prosecuted into seeking treatment. After reviewing hundreds of cases filed for alleged violations of the ordinance, DPD found only 6 cases where court records indicate treatment was completed or ordered by the court. Other notable findings from the report include: 

• 53 out of 210 people (25%) charged under the law are Black despite Black people comprising just 6.8% of Seattle’s population; 
• In 2025, Seattle Police Department officers booked 42% of people into jail who were contacted, arrested, and ultimately prosecuted due to only alleged drug use or possession; and 
• 71% of cases involved a small amount of drugs (a gram or less) and 76% of cases do not allege any other criminal behavior.  

King County Public Defender Matt Sanders issued the following statement about Seattle’s ongoing prosecution of these cases now that the outcomes of two years of enforcement are known: 

“The Department of Public Defense continues to oppose the criminalization of public drug use and possession, as incarceration has been shown to significantly increase the risk of deadly overdose upon release and prosecution has overwhelmingly failed to connect people struggling with substance use disorder to meaningful treatment. Seattle city leaders should stop wasting taxpayer dollars on the enforcement of this ineffective and harmful ordinance. Instead, those resources should be put toward proven and evidence-based treatment programs.” 

DPD represents all indigent people charged with misdemeanors in Seattle Municipal Court, including those prosecuted under the drug criminalization ordinance.