Washington is among the hardest hit states when it comes to the fentanyl crisis
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — As leaders work to tackle the fentanyl crisis in Southwest Washington, officials met Friday to address the impact of fentanyl and overdose deaths in Cowlitz County. According to the CDC, Washington had the single-highest increase of reported drug overdose deaths among the states from August 2022-August 2023.
“I just turned 39. I’ve been an addict since I was 9 years old. I started with marijuana and it went to meth when I was 13. By the time I was 15, I was doing heroin,” John Nash, a recovering addict, said. “Six years ago, it went from heroin to fentanyl because of the availability and the thing with fentanyl is it does exactly what it was made to do.”
Nash’s story is just one of many highlighting the devastation of the drug crisis, especially as fentanyl sweeps the country.
“You were either heroin or meth, not both. And now we’re just seeing that everyone is doing fentanyl. There’s no distinction anymore,” Cowlitz Co. Corrections Director Marin Fox said. “We’re just literally trying to keep people alive and it’s harder than it’s ever been.”
On Friday, U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, who serves Washington state, heard from officials and community members who deal directly with the fentanyl crisis.
“As one of the most impacted states, we need to do everything we can,” Sen. Cantwell said.
Cantwell is currently working on efforts in Washington D.C. through the U.S. Senate, like the FEND Off Fentanyl Act.
“This is a really important piece of legislation because it helps us fight the actual drug cartels that are moving so much product into our country,” Cantwell said. “We have to disrupt the illicit flow of fentanyl in our country. We have to.”
But as some shared in Friday’s roundtable, fentanyl is also deeply rooted in communities across Washington state, much of it seen by first responders.
“Just under 3% of all overdoses in the state happened in the City of Longview in 2023, despite the fact that the City of Longview represents less than a half of 1% of the population,” Longview Fire Dept. Battalion Chief Eric Koreis said. “It’s very disproportionate here.”
It’s also felt by those working directly in the treatment field, as they urge elected officials like the senator to help fund and streamline solutions. Frank Morrison, CEO of CORE Health, lost his daughter to an overdose in August. Now, he’s working to help others who are struggling, like operating treatment shelters for everyone from kids to entire families.
“The average age they started was 11 years old. 80% of their family members used and their first substance was cannabis,” Morrison said while discussing some of the teens currently in treatment. “It’s been a long-standing generational thing where families and use is connected.”
As for Nash, these kinds of solutions have made a difference. He says he hadn’t had 30 days of sobriety at any point in his life since the age of 9, which makes this Saturday extra special.
“I celebrate a year clean tomorrow,” Nash told the room.
The FEND Off Fentanyl Act passed the U.S. Senate earlier this week. It’s now expected to head to the U.S. House for a vote.
Jami Seymore
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