A sign outside the Lummi Tribal Health Center advertises walk-in appointments for Suboxone, a medicine used to treat opioid dependence, on the Lummi Reservation on Feb. 8, 2024, near Bellingham, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)
Opioid overdose deaths for Native Americans and Alaska Natives have increased dramatically during the past few years in Washington, with at least 100 in 2022 — 75 more than in 2019, according to the most recent numbers available from the Washington State Department of Health.
Republican state Sen. John Braun, the bill’s prime sponsor, has said this is just a first step.
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"This is just going to get us started, and make sure we’re not sitting on our hands, waiting for the problem to solve itself," he said.
The bill would earmark funds deposited into an opioid settlement account, which includes money from the state’s $518 million settlement in 2022 with the nation’s three largest opioid distributors, for tribes battling addiction. Tribes are expected to receive $7.75 million or 20% of the funds deposited into the account the previous fiscal year — whichever is greater — annually.
The money provided through the legislation does not come with a specific end date. But starting in 2031, there would no longer be a minimum required dollar amount, according to an amendment approved Friday. The state would provide 20% of the money deposited in an opioid settlement account during the prior fiscal year. And if the average amount deposited into that account gets too low, no funding would be required to go to the tribes.
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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/washington-lawmakers-advance-bill-address-opioid-crisis-native-tribes