A King County (Wash.) Superior Court judge voted against a citizen-led initiative that sought to ban an earlier statute allowing the creation of "safe injection sites," which would allow drug misusers to partake in drug use under the supervision of a county health worker, Oct. 16, according to Fox News.
The King County Health Department and county board of supervisors voted in January to open two safe injection sites by early 2018. Officials said one site would be located in Seattle, while the other would be located in a nearby city.
The measure has received significant pushback from King County residents. Some individuals started Initiative-27 and an accompanying petition to block all public funding for the site. The petition has reportedly received 70,000-plus signatures — enough for the measure to qualify for the county's February ballot.
However, advocacy group Protect Public Health filed a lawsuit in August with the intent to halt a public vote on the issue. The lawsuit, which asks that I-27 be "invalidated in its entirety," alleged local public health policy cannot be subject to a veto by citizens, according to The Seattle Times.
The creators of I-27 said they plan to appeal the superior court judge's ruling, and aim to ensure King County residents have the opportunity to vote on the issue in February.