Everett approves new penalties for drug exposure to children

Published 12:10 pm Thursday, March 12, 2026

EVERETT — The city of Everett approved an ordinance on Wednesday creating criminal penalties for people who expose children to certain drugs.

Police previously told the council that the new ordinance would fill a gap in state law, which outlines criminal charges for people who knowingly or intentionally allow a child, or an adult in their care, to ingest methamphetamine.

But that state law only applies to methamphetamine, and does not specifically address other illicit drugs.

Everett’s newly approved city law now makes it a crime for individuals to expose children to drugs classified as Schedule I or II, which include heroin, fentanyl, marijuana, cocaine, morphine and ecstasy, among others.

The police department’s previous practice was to charge offenders with reckless endangerment, detective Doug Purcell previously told the council.

One person spoke against the ordinance at Wednesday’s council meeting. Carra Wetzel Chubb, a former Everett resident and a social worker, said unintended consequences from the criminalization measures could harm children more than it would help them. She said she has worked with parents who have avoided seeking treatment due to the fear of losing their children or being arrested. The new law could compound existing problems, she said.

“If we have parents in jail, children won’t see their parents, we’re leaving them with lifelong trauma, Wetzel Chubb said. “… We’re not preventing exposure, we’re just reacting to it.”

Lacey Offut, an attorney at the city, said during the meeting that municipal prosecutors retain “a tremendous amount of discretion” and have the option to divert parents charged with the crime into parenting classes or substance use evaluations, rather than incarceration.

Violating the new law is a gross misdemeanor, punishable by up to 364 days in jail and a $5,000 fine. Pierce County adopted a similar law in 2024.

The law includes exceptions for the use of drugs like fentanyl or morphine in health care settings, where they are used as pain relievers. It also doesn’t apply to methamphetamine, where state law is already in effect.

If the state legislature approves a law that would take precedence over the newly approved ordinance, the city’s law would no longer be in effect, the ordinance reads.

Will Geschke: 425-339-3443; william.geschke@heraldnet.com; X: @willgeschke.