Rep. Deb Manjarrez: Prevention is critical in keeping our youth safe from the drug crisis
As I have immersed myself in combating Washington state’s drug crisis, I have discovered that keeping our youth safe and away from substance use is part of the crisis we cannot afford to lose.
Washington state’s drug crisis is one of the worst in the nation, and it has not spared our young people. Youth overdoses have skyrocketed, with ambulance and paramedic responses to suspected overdosing on opioids quadrupling since 2019. Deaths have more than tripled since then.
I am working on new, common-sense legislation related to substance use and treatment options, as current policies are not working. Many of my proposals are driven by what I have learned and observed through my service on Washington’s Substance Use Recovery Services Advisory Committee (SURSAC).
While the committee is focused on assisting people in recovery and treatment, we must not forget where it all starts: prevention. It is no secret that people who start using drugs and alcohol in their youth are at greater risk of needing treatment later.
In 2019, 7.0 million young people ages 12 to 20 reported that they drank alcohol beyond “just a few sips” in the past month. Nearly 75% of adults who were admitted to substance use treatment started using before their 18th birthdays.
One of the successful programs I have discovered is the Prevention Club at Sunnyside High School. Its focus is on healthy decisions for our youth and raising awareness about the dangers of drugs, alcohol, tobacco, and other harmful choices. I have seen firsthand how the program has a positive impact on the young people in the Sunnyside School District.
The advisors for the program, Lino Sanchez with ESD 105, Maguen Diaz with Sunnyside Protecting our Youth, and Holly Elizondo with Sunnyside United Unidos, have done great work and should be commended for its success.
At the same time, the students run the program — peer-to-peer sharing, educating, and listening to others whose everyday lives are affected by drugs, gangs and peer pressure.
At a minimum, the daily lives of our youth are chaotic. At no greater time has there been so much pressure to fit in and show you are relevant with all the social media options available.
When it comes to drugs, the traditional “just say no” campaigns or punitive zero-tolerance policies no longer seem effective. The most impactful prevention strategies come from supportive environments, fostering resilience, and providing young people with the skills and knowledge they need to make healthy choices. That is what students are getting from the Sunnyside Prevention Club.
It isn’t just about drug and alcohol prevention. It keeps our youth off the streets. Our young people, 12-14 years old, and those with substance abuse problems are very susceptible to gang recruitment attempts. Gang recruiters target this age group because they are less likely to be cautious about their surroundings.
The Washington State Health Care Authority recently honored the Sunnyside Prevention Club with the 2025 Prevention Award of Excellence, highlighting their youth leadership and empowering a bright future. The success of this club has other schools looking at the model.
It would be great if the state could assist in funding prevention clubs for all schools, but our budget situation does not make that a realistic option. With that, I remain focused on step one of our state’s drug crisis, prevention.
I have prefiled overdose mapping legislation, House Bill 2168, that would require real time reporting of overdose statistics. Currently, statistics are reported, but not in real time. Information in real time could be utilized to alert certain service providers of a potential overdose problem area as well as allocate resources and services for substance use prevention. Tools and information could be available in a much timelier manner.
We are not going to cure the drug crisis, but prevention clubs and preventive measures will save more money, time, and, most importantly, lives. Reactive problem-solving to our state’s drug crisis does not bring people off the streets and out of addiction.
As Benjamin Franklin once said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
