CENTRALIA, Wash. — Gather Church in Centralia has filed a lawsuit against Lewis County, challenging an ordinance that prohibits mobile needle exchanges and limits the distribution of drug paraphernalia. Church leaders argue the regulations hinder their harm reduction efforts.
The church, in partnership with the ACLU of Washington, contends that the new rules make it significantly more difficult to assist people struggling with addiction.
For five years, the church operated a restored bloodmobile that traveled to rural parts of the county, serving individuals who were unable or unwilling to visit the church’s Centralia facility, said Pastor Cole Meckle.
Clients received clean needles in
→ Continue reading at King 5
