Regulation on staying away from drug areas passed

(YAKIMA) – The Yakima City Council passed the Stay Away from Drug Areas ordinance at its council meeting Tuesday.

The drug-free zones are two zones around North 1st Street and South Naches Avenue. The ordinance allows municipal court judges to prohibit people accused of drug offenses from visiting these zones as a condition of pretrial or post-conviction release. However, some community members expressed concerns about the ordinance at the meeting.

“I fear this will limit access to already incredibly limited housing for low-income people, as many apartment complexes are located within the proposed boundaries. However, I doubt this will meet the very noble goal of reducing drug use and crime in Yakima. If the war on drugs has shown us anything, it is that drug dealers and drug users are very adaptable,” said Yakima-based physician and family medicine and addiction medicine specialist Dr. Gillian Zuckerman.

Nevertheless, the Yakima City Council passed the ordinance unanimously. And the council can change the zones at any time.