Rep. Deb Manjarrez: Washington state’s drug crisis management has been the wrong Rx
Reports within the last year have shown youth drug overdoses have quadrupled since 2019, and the state’s newborn drug exposure rates are nearly double the national average. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Washington state has the fifth-highest overdose death rate in the nation.
The statistics are staggering and heartbreaking, and likely hit home with most, if not all, of us. These are our families, friends, neighbors, co-workers, and people we would least expect to be suffering from substance use disorder or addiction.
There is no simple fix, but we are losing ground on Washington state’s drug crisis.
One of my legislative duties is serving on Washington’s Substance Use Recovery Services Advisory Committee (SURSAC). The Legislature created this committee in 2021 to develop recommendations for lawmakers regarding substance use and treatment options.
Two years later, the committee issued the Substance Use and Recovery Services Plan, which formed another work group to examine a “safe supply” program that could prescribe drugs as an alternative to the illegal market on the streets.
Earlier this summer, the work group shared its findings with the SURSAC Committee, which included what some refer to as a “buyers’ club” for fentanyl and heroin. Other recommendations linked to the safe supply program included supervised consumption sites where drugs are prescribed and administered, and prescribing and dispensing drugs to users who can administer them outside a supervised setting.
The work group also touched on investing in treatment, recovery support, and outreach and education, but safe supply options should be a nonstarter. Providing those suffering from substance use disorder with more drugs lacks common sense and will not get them off the streets or convince them to get help if we make it easier for them to get high.
The visions of people lying on the sidewalks strung out are haunting. You can see the misery and suffering in their eyes. We need bold action. Current policies are not working. We need to have compassion, but that includes some tough love.
Involuntary treatment should be an option, if not solely for an individual’s health and safety. These folks are under the influence of powerful, dangerous drugs. How often are they in a state of mind to make a clear, level-headed decision for themselves? Sadly, some may never be in a mindset to make that potentially lifesaving call. If we wait for them to make that decision, it may be too late.
Involuntary treatment is controversial, but what I do know is that it saved the life of a close family member. House Bill 1787, introduced by some of my colleagues in the Republican Caucus, would change the criteria to meet the threshold under Washington’s Involuntary Treatment Act so that those who are a threat to themselves or the community can get immediate help. It would require the construction of additional secure facilities in areas identified as having a shortage of beds.
I am also working on legislation that would allow emergency first responders — EMTs, medics, law enforcement, and social workers — the ability to take an individual to the hospital for immediate medical treatment and hold them for detox for 10 days. As the person detoxes, treatment options, recovery support, and outreach opportunities could be presented.
Washingtonians are demanding actual change, not just a place to house those suffering from addiction. Since SURSAC’s establishment four years ago, other committees and work groups to address these issues have been created, and yet our drug crisis numbers have worsened.
I often hear about the lack of infrastructure to address our drug crisis. That simply comes down to priorities. The majority party has passed record spending budgets year after year stating we must “protect our most vulnerable.”
Nothing is more vulnerable than those who are suffering from addiction and have nowhere to turn. We have an opportunity to invest in effective treatment options and harm reduction services, while also providing outreach and education. It is time to be bold and put new, common-sense solutions in place.
