Cantwell holds fentanyl roundtable as WA becomes overdose epicenter
Cantwell holds fentanyl roundtable as WA becomes overdose epicenter
Why is Washington the epicenter of the fentanyl crisis?
U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell posed the question at a Seattle roundtable she convened Monday about the deadly drug, where speakers talked about innovations happening locally and the challenges that lay ahead. The senator pointed to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention numbers showing the state had the biggest increase in the nation — more than 21% — in fatal overdoses reported between February 2022 and February 2023.
Washington is an epicenter because we don't have enough economic opportunities in our rural locations, plus people are criminalized and shamed for even admitting they are addicted, they need harm reduction and no strings attached housing and jobs.