As Pacific Northwest fentanyl crisis surges, officials grapple with how to curb it

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The fight against fentanyl is increasingly being waged in schools, jails and on city streets in the Pacific Northwest, where state officials in Oregon and Washington have named it a top issue as overdose deaths rise.

Washington's Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee plans to ask lawmakers for $50 million more to treat and prevent opioid use. In Oregon, Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek has proposed declaring a fentanyl emergency in Portland, and lawmakers have created a committee on addiction to get a jump on the issue before the Legislature reconvenes in February.

“We know how serious this problem is. Fentanyl is deadly,” Inslee said. “But there is a positive note — we can be successful if we put our minds to this. Treatment works. We can help people recover.”

A surge in fentanyl deaths, including among children, has marked the latest iteration of the years-long opioid crisis. The most recent provisional figures from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that more than 78,000 people died from overdoses involving synthetic opioids in the 12 months ending June 2023, accounting for 92% of all opioid overdose deaths during that period.

One way Oregon and Washington want to reduce fatalities is by more widely distributing opioid overdose reversal medications such as naloxone. Naloxone is most commonly administered as a nasal spray or an injection and helps restore breathing.

Inslee's office said part of his proposed supplemental budget would go toward equipping first responders with naloxone, and Oregon's state health department said it plans to offer free opioid overdose reversal kits to middle and high schools. A bill that has been filed ahead of Washington's short legislative session, which starts in January, would require all school...