Sen. Cantwell visits Seattle to discuss area’s fentanyl crisis

SEATTLE — Sen. Maria Cantwell visited Seattle Monday to discuss King County’s fentanyl problems.

Her stop is the fourth on her fentanyl listening tour across Washington. She has held other roundtable discussions in Pierce and Snohomish counties and in the Tri-Cities.

Washington has one of the fastest-growing drug overdose death rates in the country, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Cantwell was joined by Seattle’s Mayor Bruce Harrell, Police Chief Adrian Diaz, Fire Chief Harold Scoggins and other leaders. Healthcare providers, law enforcement agencies, addiction experts, and community members also participated.

Currently, King County is on pace to have 1,000 fentanyl overdose deaths this year.

During the discussion, Harrell stressed that his team is working on finding a balancing act when it comes to solving the issue.

“I have zero appetite, no appetite to arrest people that are sick and unhealthy. That is not the direction we will head as long as I’m mayor. We will treat,” said Harrell.

Cantwell said that on the federal level, she’s working to try to increase federal funding for treatment and addressing housing capacity.

The discussion comes as a new law is now in effect that lawmakers hope will combat the fentanyl crisis.

The Tyler Lee Yates Act makes buying, selling, and owning pill presses a felony in Washington.

In 2022, Yates bought a pain pill from a dealer, but it was counterfeit and contained fentanyl.

He died the same day.

Pill presses are used to make counterfeit drugs.

Violating the pill press ban is punishable by up to five years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines.

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