Marysville’s child drug exposure law takes effect Tuesday

Published 1:50 pm Monday, August 3, 2026

EVERETT — New criminal penalties in Marysville take effect Tuesday for people who expose children to certain drugs.

The Marysville City Council unanimously approved the penalties July 27, following Everett’s and Snohomish County’s examples, both of which enacted similar laws this year. The Marysville ordinance creates penalties for individuals who either knowingly or negligently expose children or dependent adults to drugs classified as Schedule I or II, which include heroin, fentanyl, marijuana, cocaine, morphine and ecstasy, among others.

State law criminalizes exposing a child to drugs, but only methamphetamine and not other dangerous substances, making it difficult for cities to charge other drug exposure crimes, City Attorney Jon Walker said during the July 27 meeting.

“What we would have to do now is charge it under reckless endangerment, or something like that, that doesn’t neatly fit the facts that we usually face with these,” he said.

However, the number of children exposed to fentanyl and other dangerous drugs is climbing, said Marysville Police Chief Erik Scairpon in a press release.

“This ordinance gives the Marysville Police Department a meaningful tool to intervene, protect victims and address unsafe conditions before they lead to tragedy,” he said.

The Marysville law creates a gross misdemeanor penalty for a person who knowingly or intentionally exposes a child or dependent to drugs, punishable by up to 364 days in jail and a $5,000 fine. Doing so negligently is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.

“This law closes a dangerous gap in state protections and ensures our police officers have the tools they need to hold people accountable when their actions put children or dependent adults at risk,” Mayor Jon Nehring said in the release.

Taylor Scott Richmond: 425-339-3046; taylor.richmond@heraldnet.com; Bluesky: @btayokay.bsky.social