Cantwell Convenes Fentanyl Roundtable in Walla Walla
State of WA experienced biggest increase in drug overdose deaths in the U.S.; 14 of the 21 drug overdose deaths in Walla Walla Co. since 2022 have involved fentanyl
WALLA WALLA, WA – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) heard from first responders, health care providers, law enforcement, and other members of the community on the front lines of the fentanyl crisis during a roundtable discussion at the Walla Walla County Department of Community Health.
Today’s discussion marked Sen. Cantwell’s eighth stop on an ongoing listening tour across Washington state to hear from people on the front lines of the fentanyl crisis. In May, Sen. Cantwell hosted a fentanyl crisis roundtable discussion in Pierce County followed by a second roundtable discussion in Snohomish County in June; last month, she convened a roundtable in the Tri-Cities, a roundtable in downtown Seattle and a roundtable in Spokane. This month, Sen. Cantwell has hosted roundtables in Vancouver, WA and Port Angeles. Tomorrow, she will host a roundtable in Yakima.
“We want to hear from people throughout the state about what they are seeing, and what they think might work best in trying to address this problem…for the federal level to work with you,” said Sen. Cantwell. “We've had a lot of discussions with some pretty big communities. But I felt that it was important to have the discussion with some communities that might feel like they're out there on their own as it relates to resources or may not have all the resources they need -- and so what other strategies could we deploy that might be helpful.”
Data released earlier this year by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that the State of Washington experienced the single highest increase among U.S. states in reported drug overdose deaths from between March 2022 and March 2023, an increase of 25.39%.
The Walla Walla County Coroner has seen 21 drug overdose deaths since January 1, 2022, and 14 of the 21 deaths involved fentanyl.
Sen. Cantwell noted that recently-passed legislation, the FEND Off Fentanyl Act, which she co-sponsored, may be able to help reduce fentanyl trafficking. The Senate passed the bill in July as part of the National Defense Authorization Act. The act would give would enhance current law so U.S. government agencies can more effectively disrupt illicit opioid supply chains and penalize those facilitating the trafficking of fentanyl.
“We think with this stronger tool in our hands, we will be able to try to track down and stop some of the distribution,” said Sen. Cantwell.
Several participants at the roundtable also warned about the emergence of xylazine, also known as tranq, as a new dimension to the fentanyl crisis, an issue that attendees at prior roundtables have similarly raised. In May, Sen. Cantwell led a Commerce Committee markup of S. 1280, the TRANQ Research Act, to help combat the rise in illicit use of xylazine. It directs the National Institute of Standards and Technology to take steps to enhance understanding of xylazine or tranq and other novel synthetic drugs, develop new tests for detection, and establish partnerships with front-line entities that are often the first points of contact with new street drugs. Sen. Cantwell is a cosponsor of that bipartisan bill, and also cosponsored similar bipartisan language to amend a bill that subsequently passed the Senate by unanimous consent last month.
According to the CDC, 105,224 people in the United States died of drug overdoses and drug poisonings in the 12-month period ending in March 2023 – a figure that the CDC projects will increase with additional reporting – and a staggering 67% of overdose deaths in 2022 involved synthetic opioids like fentanyl. In June, researchers at the University of Washington reported that in 2022, fentanyl was involved in 90% of opioid overdoses in Washington state and 65% of all overdose deaths.
Roundtable participants included County Commissioner Gunner Fulmer, City Manager Liz Chamberlain; Walla Walla Fire Chief John Knowles; representatives from the Walla Walla Police Department, the County Community Health Advisory Board, Blue Mountain Heart to Heart, Trilogy Recovery Community, the Walla Walla Department of Community Health, and Walla Walla Ideal Option; and Walla Walla Fire Department community paramedics.
Video from today’s event is available HERE, audio HERE, photos HERE, and a transcript of Sen. Cantwell’s remarks is available HERE.
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