State v. Blake: Its Significance, Its Impact, and County Resources for Those Convicted of Unlawful Possession

<p>Justice Gordon McCloud, writing for a five justice majority, held that the statute &ldquo;makes possession of a controlled substance a felony punishable by up to five years in prison, plus a hefty fine; leads to deprivation of numerous other rights and opportunities; and does all this without proof that the defendant even knew they possessed the substance.&rdquo; Justice Gordon McCloud noted that Washington was the only state in the nation to not have a mental state element in its drug possession statute and that this violates the due process clauses by &ldquo;taking innocent and passive conduct with no criminal intent at all and punishing it as a serious crime.&rdquo;</p> <p><a href="https://medium.com/walawlibrary/state-v-blake-its-significance-its-impact-and-county-resources-for-those-convicted-of-unlawful-9c4836b4202c"><strong>Website</strong></a></p>
Tags: State Blake