SPOKANE, Wash. — Members of Spokane City Council will vote on a resolution asking Gov. Jay Inslee to declare a state of emergency over the city's opioid crisis.
According to the resolution, overdoses in Spokane have increased over the last few years, especially with the increased use of fentanyl. That resolution will ultimately address some steps the city can take to design a "more extensive plan" on applying data driven approaches to overdoses and substance abuse.
Earlier in March, Dr. Bob Lutz used Washington Department of Health data to show the drastic rise in overdoses and drug deaths over recent years. In nearly every example, Spokane County's numbers exceeded those of the state.
"From 2017, where we really had essentially no known overdoses from fentanyl, to 2023 preliminary data we have a 5,800% increase in the number of people who have overdosed from fentanyl," Lutz told KREM 2.
Council members will vote on the resolution during Monday night's legislative meeting on March 25, 2024.
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