Tribal leaders on Monday, Jan. 22 called for a united front in the battle against the fentanyl epidemic, as they continue to push both Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and President Joe Biden to declare a state of emergency.
Declarations of emergency are important because they — at the very least — make it clear that the crisis is a priority, said Lummi Chairman Anthony Hillaire, who was among several tribal leaders to speak at the event in Olympia.
“We’re just sick and tired of burying our young people to overdose. We’re sick and tired of having to console our mothers and grandmothers that are burying their children,” Hillaire told Cascadia Daily News ahead of the event. “We need to do something about it. It’s easy to say it, but it’s so much harder to actually get something done.”
The chairman wants to remove barriers that prevent direct funding for tribal projects and programs designed to address the fentanyl crisis. Additionally, Hillaire said he wants to simplify the jurisdictional issues on the reservation that hamper the tribe’s abilities to combat non-tribal, predatory drug dealers.
The day was especially symbolic for Hillaire because it marked the 169th anniversary of the signing of the Point Elliott Treaty, in which the Lummi Nation left their original territory in exchange for certain rights: “rights to health care, education, hunting and fishing in our usual and accustomed areas,” he said.
“It’s a day of acknowledging the promises that were made and our sacred obligation to protect our inherent and reserved treaty rights,” Hillaire said.
The Lummi Nation declared a state of emergency due to fentanyl in September. As part of the response, Lummi police established checkpoints on the reservation, where vehicles were stopped and searched for drugs.
“The immediate response was very important because of the severity of fentanyl and how devastating it was to us,” Hillaire said.
More than 3,500 illegal pills, including fentanyl, were confiscated during the stops.
“There’s still just so much work that needs to be done,” he said.
Fentanyl is the leading cause of death for Americans between the ages of 18 and 45, killing more than 78,000 Americans between June 2022 and 2023, according to estimates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration seized record amounts of fentanyl in 2023: more than 77 million pills and nearly 12,000 pounds of powder, according to a news release from the agency.
“It amounts to more than 386 million deadly doses of fentanyl — enough to kill every American,” the release states, noting that the drug found on the market today is more potent and deadlier than before.
Laboratory testing done by the agency in 2023 showed that 7 out of 10 pills examined contain a potentially deadly dose of fentanyl, an increase from 4 out of 10 pills in 2021.
In Whatcom County, the number of overdose deaths rose from 91 in 2022 to an estimated more than 130 in 2023. On Jan. 9 the County Council called on Gov. Inslee and President Biden to declare a state of emergency to address the opioid and fentanyl crisis.
Speaking at the press conference in Olympia on Monday, 40th District Rep. Debra Lekanoff pointed out that other states — as well as tribal nations — have already made such declarations. However, she was quick to note that it was up to legislators to provide policies and funding to answer any call to action.
“There are over 50 action items in the 2024 session that answer that call,” Lekanoff said.
These include House Bill 1877, designed to revitalize Washington’s behavioral health system; House Bill 2305, slated to enhance cross jurisdictional cooperation; and House Bill 2075, which is set to streamline licensing for Indian Health Care providers.
“The challenges with opioid use disorder are disproportionately impacting our Native residents of our state,” said Rep. Nicole Macri, who is a member of the Healthcare and Wellness Committee.
“I am hopeful that this year we will see a significant additional package of both policy and budget investments in the area of opioid response,” Macri said “I’m very thankful to our Tribes across Washington for teaching me so much.”
