Substance use: Shifting from punishment to treatment

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, July 28, 2026

There have been two overdose deaths on San Juan Island so far this year. According to San Juan County Sheriff Eric Peter, the average for the county tends to hover around one or two annually. The number may sound low; however, in a small rural area, each death is a huge loss. Each death impacts islanders and tears at the heart of the community.

“In this community, one or two deaths are a big deal because it’s a small community. These are people you know, or know of. In the big city, it’s just as tragic, but there are so many people and it happens on such a regular basis that people become numb to it,” Peter told the Weekly.

Peter urged those struggling with substance use disorders to seek help, not just for their own sake, but for the sake of their loved ones. “I’ve seen more than my fair share of people dying,” Peter said. “Reach out and get help, be present for your kids, give them the guidance that they need growing up.”

An Adult Drug Court was established in the county in 2019 and continues to operate under the Superior Court. This court is for individuals charged with a crime whose substance use disorder played a role in their involvement in the criminal justice system, and it works with the person to get them the treatment they need. According to Deputy Prosecutor Teresa Barrett, the title will soon be changed to Adult Treatment Court, and could include individuals who have mental health issues or substance use issues.

Barnett also told the Weekly that a Community Court is being launched this month under the District Court. Community Courts, as described by the Washington Courts website, are “generally a municipal-level court and focus on individuals charged with a crime whose behavioral health and life circumstances played a role in their involvement in the criminal legal system. Community Courts’ goal is to intervene and support participants so that they do not escalate to more serious crime.”

As there is no one-size-fits-all solution or treatment for those with substance use disorders, here is a brief list of resources available:

Compass Health has a number of programs, including Recovery Navigators, crisis services, assessments and outpatient treatment for mental health and substance use disorders. Their website and contact information can be found at https://www.compasshealth.org/location/friday-harbor-office/.

Evergreen Recovery Centers is a behavioral health provider with mainland treatment services that will be overseeing the local incoming Co-Response team this year. Evergreen Recovery is also launching a new 90-day inpatient residential women’s program, Rainwood, that is tailored for women facing co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders. This program emphasizes a trauma-informed, recovery-centered and strengths-based approach. Learn more at https://evergreenrc.org/.

Orcas, Lopez and San Juan each have its own family resource centers that each provide some resources:

• Joyce L. Sobel Family Resource Center – San Juan Island.

• Orcas Community Resource Center – Orcas Island.

• Lopez Family Resource Center – Lopez Island.

San Juan and Lopez have also established recovery cafes, a model that offers long-term support through peer circles, recovery coaching and daily meals.

• New Day Recovery Cafe – San Juan Island support for behavioral health, which provides food, coffee and community.

• Heart and Soul Cafe – Lopez Island support for behavioral health.

• Self Help – local AA/NA meeting calendar is available at https://www.district46aawa.org/.

• Naloxone resources can be found at https://doh.wa.gov/you-and-your-family/drug-user-health/overdose-education-naloxone-distribution, and are also available locally through resource centers, New Day Cafe and Compass Health.

• Boulder Care: Online resource for suboxone prescriptions. The website states, “As a Boulder patient, you get access to all of our clinical and support services at no extra cost. This means you get the treatment you need, whenever you need it.”

• 988 behavioral health help line: Counselors are available 24/7 on this free phone line for anyone struggling or in the midst of a crisis.

Approximately four years ago, a court ruling, Blake v. Washington, made possession a misdemeanor while possession with intent to deliver remained a felony. “These cases are harder to detect and investigate due to the small community,” Barnett explained.

One of the reasons it’s more difficult to detect and investigate, Peter told the Weekly, is that pre-Blake, when a person was arrested with possession, facing felony punishment, they were more inspired to work with deputies to catch dealers if facing longer jail time. Now that possession is only a misdemeanor, the person often chooses to just serve their short stint rather than turn their dealer in.

“If you talk to a majority of cops, they would say yes, possession needs to be a felony, not because we want to lock everybody up and throw away the key,” Peter said, “but because we want to get to the dealers, and we want people to get better.” For those things to happen, he continued, there needs to be some weight behind it. He also advocated for including drug treatment and resources, as well as mental health resources in prisons so people can both be held accountable and get the help they need, “so that when they are released, they can be productive members of society,” he said, adding that with drugs on the street, “it’s a matter of time before somebody drops a piece or a little kid gets a hold of it, and then god forbid you have a middle schooler a toddler finding something, and at best going to the hospital and at worse, losing their life.”

Meanwhile, according to Barnett, the Blake ruling for the Prosecutor’s Office has primarily meant a shift from punishment to treatment, saying, “Our main goal is that they receive treatment. The main challenge is making sure treatment happens.”

Meanwhile, according to Barnett, the Blake ruling for the prosecutor’s office has primarily meant a shift from punishment to treatment, saying, “Our main goal is that they receive treatment. The main challenge is making sure treatment happens.”