OLYMPIA, Wash. – Overdose deaths continue to increase at a shocking rate in Washington state and fentanyl is a major driver of the numbers.
The state Department of Health reports there were more than 2,000 overdose deaths in the state last year, up 66% from 2019.
Deaths were up across all ethnic groups, but are showing the sharpest increases among Black, Latino, and Native American/Native Alaskan people.
The department says the synthetic opioid fentanyl played a role in over half of the deaths.
The state’s chief science officer says any pill someone buys on the street, over the internet or from an acquaintance, could contain fentanyl.
One small local bright spot is that Whatcom County had an overall drug death rate that was slightly below the statewide rate.