OLYMPIA, Wash.- A bill which would require students in Washington to be educated on the dangers of fentanyl has passed the state House with unanimous support and is moving quickly through the Senate.
HB 1956, which was requested by Governor Jay Inslee this session, comes in response to a significant increase in opioid deaths across the Evergreen State since 2019.
If passed, the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) would create a drug overdose prevention program which would be maintained through 2029.
The Superintendent of Public Instruction would be directed to create additional educational materials regarding opioid abuse which would be used in middle and high school classrooms.
Drug addiction has posed a challenge for Spokane high schools and local emergency responders, particularly due to the circulation of the synthetic opioid fentanyl.
