Snohomish County approves law protecting children from drug exposure

Published 1:30 am Friday, June 12, 2026

EVERETT — The Snohomish County Council unanimously approved an ordinance Wednesday that makes it a misdemeanor to expose a child to all dangerous drugs, other than marijuana.

The ordinance attempts to address gaps in state law, County Council member Sam Low said in an interview Friday, which outlines criminal charges for people who knowingly or intentionally allow a child, or an adult in their care, to ingest methamphetamine.

But the state law only applies to methamphetamine and does not address other illicit drugs.

“The state hasn’t really addressed fentanyl, so we had to address that,” Low said. “It’s really to hopefully get the state to address this issue more seriously.”

Everett passed a similar law on March 11, which makes it a crime for individuals to expose children and dependents to drugs classified as Schedule I or II, which includes heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, morphine and ecstasy, among others.

The county ordinance also includes drugs classified as Schedule III, IV and V. Schedule III drugs include ketamine, anabolic steroids and Tylenol with Codeine. Schedule IV drugs include Xanax, Valium and Ambien. Schedule V drugs include cough suppressants with less than 200 milligrams of codeine, like Robitussin AC.

Marijuana is a Schedule I drug but was specifically excluded from the ordinance.

The convicted person could face up to a year in prison, up to a $5,000 fine or both.

The ordinance was introduced by County Council member Nate Nehring as part of a broader attempt to shift the county’s drug-control approach toward greater accountability, a press release said.

This ordinance represents “a step in the right direction for our fight against the epidemic of drug addiction in Snohomish County,” Nehring said in the release. “As a community, we must be focused on balancing compassion with accountability to protect the most vulnerable among us.”

During a more-than-three-hour public hearing on Wednesday, county residents spoke on the ordinance, including Everett resident Jeff Kelly.

“This law seems like a no-brainer to me,” he said. “I would hope that everybody supports that.”

Council member Megan Dunn spoke during the meeting about how this should be a statewide issue, which Low referenced on Friday.

“I believe that this may have a narrow and limited scope and impact, but I hope it sends a message to the state that we need a statewide resolution on this issue,” Dunn said on Wednesday. “Washingtonians deserve a statewide solution on this. So I’m supporting the ordinance but I think, for consistency, it should be statewide.”

Taylor Scott Richmond: 425-339-3046; taylor.richmond@heraldnet.com; X: @BTayOkay