Showing posts with label drugs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label drugs. Show all posts

144,000+ WA Seniors to see their prescription drug costs drop as Feds flex negotiating power granted by Inflation Reduction Act

Monday, August 19, 2024

Biden administration announces price cuts of 38%-79% on 10 key drugs
that will save U.S. seniors $1.5 billion next year

EDMONDS, WA – U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) celebrated the Biden Administration’s announcement of lower prices for the first 10 prescription drugs selected for negotiation with drug companies under provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

“Prescription drug costs continue to be one of the biggest expenses for American families. This historic law allowed the federal government and Medicare to go toe-to-toe with Big Pharma to negotiate the prices of prescription drugs for the first time,” said Sen. Cantwell.
“As a result, 10 common prescriptions that more than 144,000 Washington seniors rely on will be significantly more affordable, meaning $1.5 billion in savings for Americans on out-of-pocket costs, in addition to savings from other IRA prescription drug provisions, while saving taxpayers billions more.
"And we’re just getting started – the next round of drugs to be negotiated will be announced soon."

By giving Medicare the power to negotiate with drug companies on the prices they charge for prescription drugs, the IRA saves money for seniors, while saving money for taxpayers and reducing the federal budget deficit. 

In 2026, once the new, lower prices take effect, Americans enrolled in Medicare Part D who take these medications are estimated to save $1.5 billion in out-of-pocket costs. Moreover, according to the Congressional Budget Office, the drug pricing provisions in the IRA will reduce the federal deficit by $237 billion over 10 years.

Data released by the Department of Health and Human Services shows in 2022 more than 144,000 Medicare enrollees in the State of Washington needed the 10 drugs announced for price negotiation. 

Together, those Washingtonians spent about $67.6 million out of pocket to access those important medications in 2022.

The 10 drugs included in this round of negotiations are among the most popular – and expensive – medications taken by people on Medicare. Prices for many of these drugs have soared in recent years, far exceeding the rate of inflation – doubling, tripling, or even more in some cases. For many of the patients taking these drugs, they will need them for the rest of their lives. The savings will only grow over time.

Prices will be negotiated for even more prescription drugs in the future, with the next 15 drugs to be selected for negotiation to be announced by February 2025.

Seniors in Washington state are also saving money on their health care in other ways thanks to money-saving improvements to Medicare in the IRA.

For example, in 2024, approximately 288,000 Washington state seniors are saving an average of $240 each year thanks to the IRA’s $2,000 cap on out-of-pocket drug costs and broader coverage of important vaccinations.

More details about cost savings associated with the IRA’s health care improvements are available HERE.

Sen. Cantwell is a leading voice for reducing prescription drug costs. In addition to her support for the drug negotiation provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act, Sen. Cantwell has pushed for passage of her bipartisan Pharmacy Benefit Manager Transparency Act.

Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) have the power to dictate how much people pay for their prescriptions, how they can access their prescriptions, and even what type of treatments people can receive. Just three PBMs control nearly 80% of the prescription drug market.

Sen. Cantwell’s legislation would increase drug pricing transparency and hold PBMs accountable for unfair and deceptive practices that drive up prescription drug costs at the expense of consumers.


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King County Sheriff's Office takes down another drug trafficker

Friday, August 16, 2024

K9 Quinn. Photo courtesy KCSO
On August 7, 2024 Detectives from the Special Emphasis Team in Burien Precinct 4 (with an assist from the teams in Shoreline Precinct 5 and SeaTac Precinct 6) busted a major drug-trafficker, pulled many pounds of drugs off the street, and seized a firearm.

Search warrants served in Auburn and SeaTac led to the arrest in Auburn.

Naturally, Quinn the K-9 was key.

Seized:
  • 17.62 lbs of methamphetamine
  • 7.35 lbs of fentanyl powder
  • 6.42 lbs of cocaine
  • 68,000 M/30 pills seized
  • Over $44,000 in drug proceeds
  • 1 firearm
  • 1 vehicle
"Hard work pays off"


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King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office filed 125 felony drug dealing cases so far in 2024


Through the end of June, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has filed 125 felony drug dealing cases so far in 2024. 77.6% of those involved fentanyl and/or methamphetamine. Frequently, (32% of the cases) the drug dealing charges involved more than one kind of drug.

Of the 125 drug dealing cases filed so far this year, 17 of those cases (13.6%) also had a firearms-related charge.

According to the most recent data from Public Health — Seattle and King County, there have been 669 confirmed drug overdose or alcohol poisoning deaths through August in 2024. 

Our prosecutors will continue to prosecute the people who deal fentanyl and meth and other deadly drugs in our communities.

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Shoreline resident indicted for drug and gun crimes

Monday, July 15, 2024

Seattle – A 48-year-old Seattle area man is in federal custody after being indicted by a grand jury for two counts of possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, announced U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. 

Simon Offord is allegedly linked to drug dealing in multiple Seattle neighborhoods and in various homeless encampments. 

Searches of his vehicles and a Shoreline hotel room resulted in seizures of significant quantities of fentanyl, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and Alprazolam.

Offord was arraigned on the indictment on July 8, 2024, and detained on July 11, 2024.

According to police reports and other records filed in the case, Offord came to the attention of Seattle Police patrol officers in December 2023 when he drove the wrong way down a street in Seattle. Before police could contact him, he abandoned the car he was driving in a parking lot. 

Inside the car officers saw what appeared to be drugs. After getting a warrant to search the vehicle they found drugs packaged to for delivery, scales, and other indications of drug dealing as well as a ‘ghost gun’- one made without a serial number.

Over a number of months, Seattle Police looked for Offord and ultimately tracked him to a Shoreline hotel, just off of Aurora Avenue. 
On May 30, 2024, Offord was arrested at one of his dealing locations along Aurora in North Seattle. A search of his hotel room and vehicle yielded nine pounds of fentanyl powder, approximately 2900 fentanyl pills, and more than a pound of methamphetamine, crack cocaine, heroin, and other drugs. 
Police also seized another firearm. Offord was booked into the King County Jail but later was released on bail.

Due to the large amount of drugs involved in these seizures, the crimes are punishable by a mandatory minimum ten years in prison and up to life in prison. Possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime adds an additional five years in prison to run consecutive to any other sentence imposed.

The charges contained in the indictment are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

The case is being investigated by the Seattle Police Department.


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70% of drowning deaths in King county involved drugs or alcohol

Thursday, July 4, 2024

Open water safety

After five consecutive years of preventable drowning deaths staying at historically high levels, King County officials are urging the public to be cautious at rivers, lakes, and Puget Sound in advance of the Fourth of July.

A preliminary analysis by Public Health – Seattle & King County indicates there were 30 preventable drowning deaths in King County in 2023. That annual estimate has been steady since 2019 when the number of preventable drownings nearly doubled from the previous year.

River safety

Experts say the trend is the result of multiple factors: 
  • warmer air temperatures in spring and early summer when open water remains dangerously cold, 
  • a nationwide shortage of lifeguards, and 
  • inequitable access to pools and swimming lessons. 
  • They also noted that in the past five years, 70% of King County preventable drowning deaths involved drugs or alcohol.

“Experts from several of our King County departments have identified actions each of us can take to reverse the alarming rise in drownings in recent years,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine. “We need the public’s help to save lives this summer. It starts by being aware that rivers and lakes in our region are much colder and more dangerous than they appear."


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AG: Johnson & Johnson will pay Washington state $123 million for their part in the opioid crisis

Wednesday, June 19, 2024


Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced that the state, city and county governments in Washington state received a $123.34 million lump sum payment from opioid manufacturer Johnson & Johnson. 

The funds are the latest payments from Ferguson’s litigation against companies that fueled the opioid crisis, and must be split evenly between state and local governments. Ferguson directed the funds must be used to combat the opioid epidemic.

To avoid trial in Ferguson’s 2020 lawsuit, opioid manufacturer and raw material supplier Johnson & Johnson signed a court order in January to pay $123.34 million to Washington state to combat the opioid epidemic, including the fentanyl crisis that is devastating Washington communities. 

Ferguson directed that 50% of these resources, $61.67 million, go to local governments across the state to combat the epidemic in their communities. The other half goes to the state Legislature. To see what local governments will receive from the Johnson & Johnson case alone, Washingtonians can use this spreadsheet.

The Washington Attorney General’s Office has recovered $1.29 billion so far to address the fentanyl and opioid crisis. Washingtonians can use this chart to see what their local government will receive as a result of the Attorney General’s litigation to combat the opioid epidemic.

Local governments will determine how to spend their share, but those funds must be used to combat the opioid and fentanyl epidemics. The Legislature will determine how the state share is further allocated in communities around the state. All spending decisions must be consistent with the state Opioid Response Plan

Examples of approved programs include substance abuse treatment, housing or other wrap-around services, youth- or tribal-focused prevention programs, support for first responders and other evidence-based programs and services that will help communities heal.

Ferguson has rejected national settlements with five corporations, netting Washington more than $180 million more for resources that will improve treatment options, funds for first responders and provide other proven strategies to address the epidemic.


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KCSO drug team arrests eight members of Burien narcotics production and distribution ring

Thursday, June 6, 2024

Good boi Quinn!

On 05/30/24, Burien/ Precinct 4 SET Detectives executed warrants at two locations in Burien related to narcotics distribution in and around the city of Burien. 

Detectives observed members of this Drug Trafficking Organization (DTO) distribute narcotics to customers residing at a Burien encampment and to customers near Burien City Hall. 


This investigation involved several warrants and over 100 hours of surveillance by detectives. After the warrants were served our investigation determined this DTO was manufacturing narcotics at both locations to include pressing fentanyl powder into kilo size bricks. 


The warrant resulted in 8 arrests and 7 bookings for crimes including Drug Possession with Intent to Distribute, Manufacturing Narcotics, and Drug Conspiracy. 

Two of the individuals arrested were wanted as fugitives from justice out of Oregon for previous drug charges and one had warrants out of Seattle for a previous drug distribution arrest. 


At first appearance the judge released one subject and held the rest on bonds ranging between $200-$300K.


Below is a summary of evidence recovered/seized:
  • 22,788 Fentanyl M-30 pills
  • 19 pounds Fentanyl powder
  • 1.36 pounds of Cocaine
  • 263.6 grams Methamphetamine
  • 168 grams Heroin
  • 156.3 grams Crack Cocaine
  • $104,000 cash/drug proceeds seized
  • 1 hydraulic kilo press
  • 8 arrests and 7 booked into KCJ
We commend our detectives for continuing their work interrupting the supply of narcotics in our community.

All photos courtesy KCSO.


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Close to home: Two arrested in South County drug bust

Friday, May 24, 2024

K9 Officer Quinn with 5-21-2024 drug haul

On May 21, 2024 Burien and Precinct 4 Special Emphasis Team (SET) detectives arrested two individuals who were distributing narcotics in Burien, near City Hall and the District Court Parking lot.

Our investigation revealed this organization was regularly delivering narcotics across King County, including White Center, Shoreline, and SeaTac.

Search warrants were served in Edmonds, at a residence next to Maplewood Middle School, and in Lynnwood. 

The results from this operation are as follows:
  • Meth – 15.65 pounds
  • Heroin - 1.07 pounds
  • Cocaine – 2.22 pounds
  • Fentanyl Powder – 3.33 pounds
  • M/30 Fentanyl pills – 59,001
  • Fraudulent Xanax bars – 795
  • $60,705 in drug proceeds seized
Two were booked on narcotics related chargers. The estimated street value of the narcotics recovered was $600,000.

We are incredibly proud of our deputies and detectives serving Burien and Precinct 4 who are working tirelessly to remove narcotics from our neighborhoods and the surrounding community.

Their dedicated efforts are crucial in combating the deadly impact of drugs and enhancing safety within our communities.


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Another drug bust in King County

Sunday, May 19, 2024

Confiscated drugs and guns
Photo courtesy King County

Last week, our Precinct 4 Special Emphasis Team (SET) concluded a two-month narcotic investigation into a drug trafficker who was transporting money and narcotics for the Sinaloa Cartel. 

The investigation touched the city of Burien, involved multiple search warrants, and over 100 hours of surveillance in the Puget Sound area.

The investigation resulted in the following:
  • 2.8 pounds of Fentanyl powder
  • 5000 Fentanyl / M-30 pills
  • 10 grams of Cocaine
  • 3 handguns
  • 1 AR-15 style short barrel rifle w/60 round drum magazine
  • 3 vehicles seized
  • $182,249.00 cash seized

Confiscated guns
Photo courtesy King County

One suspect was booked on narcotics related charges. Narcotics and firearms wreak havoc on our King County community, stealing futures and leaving behind an ever-lasting impact on families. We are committed to removing these destructive forces from our streets and enhancing safety within our neighborhoods.

Dow Constantine, King County Executive
Burien Police Department
Shoreline Police Department


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Quinn is a Very Very Good Boy sniffing out $3.25 million worth of street drugs

Tuesday, May 7, 2024

K9 Quinn
The King County Sheriff's Office and Shoreline Police Department have seized more than 250,000 M-30 fentanyl pills, 64 pounds of fentanyl powder and 2 pounds of fentanyl laced cocaine in two recent narcotics operations.

The city of Shoreline Police's Special Emphasis Team (SET) conducted a lengthy investigation that recently led to the successful execution of two narcotics operations in south King County.

They targeted a drug trafficking organization involved in the transportation of illegal narcotics from Mexico to King County, including the city of Shoreline.

Just 2mg of fentanyl is lethal to the average person. 

The amount of fentanyl powder seized alone is enough to harm millions. 

The street value of narcotics from both operations is approximately $3.25 million and included:
  • 64.3 pounds of Fentanyl Powder
  • 253,704 M30 Fentanyl Pills
  • 3.1 pounds of Heroin
  • 1.7 pounds of Cocaine
  • 1.7 pounds of fentanyl laced cocaine.
  • 2.4 pounds of Methamphetamine
  • $32,836 in cash
  • 2 firearms
  • 1 vehicle
Three men were booked into the King County Jail where they remain on bail, in addition to two suspects that are pending charges. 

Shoreline Police stated,
"We are incredibly proud of our detectives, their skills and the tireless work that went into uncovering these illegal activities. None of this would be possible without the help of detectives from Precinct-4 (SW King County) and K9 Quinn. We also thank the assistance of our partner agencies and patrol units."

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Change your behavior to protect the lives of WSDOT workers on the highways

Sunday, April 28, 2024

Work zone. Photo courtesy WSDOT

As a WSDOT traffic control supervisor, Ashley Jackson designs traffic plans to create work zones for projects on our state highways. Unfortunately, traffic control doesn’t eliminate the risk our crews face in the field. Ashley and all our crews need your help.

With Work Zone Awareness Month entering its final days of 2024, Ashley’s message to every driver:
  • Get off your phones while driving.
  • Don't drink and drive.
  • And, slow down and pay attention in work zones.
Read more about Ashley, her role in creating traffic control and some of the workers she’s helping to protect in this blog.


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UW Medicine: Report outlines illicit drug-use patterns across Washington

Wednesday, April 24, 2024

A staffer, right, at a Seattle syringe services program site talks with a client about harm reduction.
Photo by Susan Kingston

Across Washington state, heroin use has dropped considerably, fentanyl use has climbed, and methamphetamine continues to be highly prevalent — all according to a new survey of syringe-services program participants.

These and other findings emerged from the Syringe Services Program Health Survey in a report published by researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine. The report’s collaborators included Public Health-Seattle & King County and the Washington State Department of Health.

Nearly 40 syringe services programs operate in 25 of Washington’s 39 counties. The last such survey occurred in late fall 2021 and involved 955 respondents. This time, 24 syringe-services programs took part, with staff and volunteers administering the in-person questionnaire to 1,667 voluntary participants between October 2023 and January 2024.

Other primary findings in the report: 
  • Most (89%) respondents said they had smoked a drug in the previous week, in contrast with other means of ingestion; 36% had both smoked and injected drugs, and only 10% had injected drugs exclusively. (In 2021, by contrast, 93%, of respondents reported injecting drugs.)
  • 55% of respondents were unhoused and an additional 25% had only temporary or unstable housing. Among these respondents, two-thirds said they would reduce or quit using their main drug if they had stable housing.
  • Participants said they would take advantage of additional services at their syringe-services program: 75% said they would see a healthcare provider and 68% would see a mental health counselor at the site where they took the survey.

“What struck me most about the survey results is the huge and continued need for the basics: housing, healthcare and support,” said Alison Newman, a report coauthor from the Addictions, Drug & Alcohol Institute. “We can learn so much from talking to people directly about their health and what services might help them.”

Among survey respondents this time, 80% had no housing or temporary housing. This percentage was substantially higher than the 66% of respondents who reported living in those conditions in 2021, said Caleb Banta-Green, a report coauthor and a regional expert on addiction.

“Some people are using opioids to numb the trauma of insecure housing, and some are using meth because they feel it helps them function. Being housed would give them a lot more stability in their lives and allow them to fully engage in treatment, whereas on the street they can’t really do that,” he said.

Among respondents, more had used methamphetamine (89%) in the preceding week than fentanyl (61%). Among users of either of those drugs, more than half reported ingesting them at least five days per week.

“There’s still a lot of meth out there,” Banta-Green said, adding that mortality data for the drugs suggests that “if fentanyl didn’t exist, we’d be ringing the alarm bells over methamphetamine.” 
Nevertheless, use of fentanyl has “completed dwarfed heroin,” he said, a change that has, in parallel, spurred a huge shift away from drug injection and toward drug smoking.

In response to that shift, several syringe services sites are providing or planning to offer smoking supplies in addition to sterile syringes “to reduce the spread of infectious disease and to provide an alternative to higher-risk drug injection,” the report stated. Washington’s State Legislature enacted a law in 2023 allowing these programs to legally provide smoking equipment.

While sharing a pipe is much less likely to transmit infectious disease than sharing a needle, many drug users carry the misperception that it’s harder to overdose when smoking a drug, Banta-Green said.

“Fentanyl and meth are both so powerful that smoking is not protective against overdose. We want to make sure folks understand that,” he said.

Given that survey respondents expressed a strong interest in receiving healthcare and mental care onsite, and considering Washington’s new health-engagement hub model, Banta-Green said he sees “great potential to create much more access to lifesaving care.”

The Addictions, Drug & Alcohol Institute is part of the UW School of Medicine’s Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences.

Related: Newman and Banta-Green will discuss the findings at a webinar at 1pm Thursday, May 2, 2024. The online event is open to the public. Register here.


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Sen. Salomon funds First-in-the-Nation Ibogaine Study

Friday, April 12, 2024


Ibogaine is a naturally occurring plant medicine derived from the iboga shrub. It is the only substance in the world known to allow a person to substantially reduce most of the withdrawal symptoms from opioids. Not many people have heard of ibogaine treatment, which is available in Mexico and Brazil, but initial studies have shown it to be a cheap and startlingly effective treatment option for Opioid Use Disorder (OUD).

If this is the first time you’re hearing about ibogaine, I recommend this Ted Talk as an excellent way to learn more about its potential. Current treatment options are mostly relegated to long-term rehabilitation centers and medication-assisted therapy, where a person struggling with heroin or fentanyl dependence is prescribed a safer alternative opioid, such as methadone or buprenorphine. 

Studies have shown ibogaine to be 30% more effective than buprenorphine while exhibiting fewer side effects. In research undertaken at UC San Diego, 30% of participants maintained their sobriety a year after their ibogaine treatment. (While this may sound like a low number, the sad truth is this is a very high success rate for a treatment approach for this type of addiction).

As exciting as these numbers are, the direct lived experience of those who overcame OUD using ibogaine treatment is what motivated me to work on directing state funds toward ibogaine research. When the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Commission considered using addiction relief dollars for ibogaine research, many came forward to speak in support.

“I consider my life pre-ibogaine and post-ibogaine,” said Paria Zandi, a family therapist from Los Angeles. “The best way I can explain it is that Ibogaine gave me a fresh pair of eyes with which to see the world and myself; this year I’ll be ten years sober.”

“I tried every traditional treatment that was out there,” said Jessica Blackburn, who described multiple unsuccessful attempts at sobriety through rehabilitation centers using buprenorphine and methadone treatment before successfully achieving sobriety with ibogaine. “My first treatment gave me years of freedom. I no longer felt powerless, and I’ve never felt powerless since.”

This medicine shows real promise as another tool for treating opioid addiction, but since this does not require taking pharmaceuticals on a long-term basis, there has not been much interest from pharmaceutical companies to invest in the research that would bring a drug to market through traditional means. 

The responsibility falls to us, and this year’s budget directs $250,000 to establish the nation’s first state-funded study into the use of ibogaine therapy for those suffering from opioid addiction.


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Sen. Murray secures funding for Homeland Security projects important to Washington state

Wednesday, April 3, 2024

Across two major federal funding bills, Sen. Patty Murray has advocated for Washington state.

The first funding package was signed into law on March 9, 2024. Congress is working to pass the second package of bills before funding for some agencies expires at the end of Friday.

Murray's local support includes Homeland Security.

“I worked hard to secure $100 million for Coast Guard Base Seattle in this bill, along with new funding for the Puget Sound Whale Desk and efforts to help address staffing shortages at Washington State Ferries,” said Senator Murray.

“This bill is a bipartisan compromise that will provide some important new resources to help meet increased operational needs at our border — and importantly, new resources to stop the flow of fentanyl way up the supply chain and at our ports of entry.”

Among other things, Senator Murray secured in the legislation: 
  1. $100 million for improvements at the Seattle Coast Guard Base to accommodate three Polar Security Cutters that will be stationed at the Seattle Base to increase the nation’s Polar capabilities;
  2. $579 million for Offshore Patrol Cutters at the Seattle Coast Guard Base—a $36 million increase over last year’s funding level, to replace outdated Medium Endurance Cutters such as those stationed at the Seattle Base
  3. $250,000 for the Puget Sound Cetacean Desk Pilot Program, a joint program between the Coast Guard and NOAA to track and proactively alert vessel operations to whale presence in the Sound, as well as regulations and voluntary guidelines in place to protect the endangered Southern Resident orcas. This funding complements $200,000 included for NOAA in the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies funding bill enacted earlier this month.
Murray also secured in the bill $11 million to modernize the Mariner Credentialing Program and language directing the National Maritime Center to review their system for approving Merchant Mariner Credentials to help streamline the hiring process and address the crew shortage at Washington State Ferries.

Additionally, Murray secured $272,000 through CDS for the Port of Longview to purchase and install two portable generators to ensure that the Port can continue to operate temporarily in case of a disaster—the full list of CDS projects is HERE.

A full summary of the Homeland Security bill Senator Murray negotiated is available HERE.


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Passage of bill to improve treatment of substance use disorder is deeply personal to Rep. Lauren Davis

Gov. Jay Inslee signs SB 6228 in the company of Sen. Manka Dhingra, Rep. Lauren Davis, stakeholders and advocates. Photo courtesy LSS.
OLYMPIA— Washington State will take an important step to improve the treatment of substance use disorder (SUD) as Governor Jay Inslee signed SB 6228 into law. Sponsored by Sen. Manka Dhingra (D-Redmond) the bill aims to increase access to inpatient treatment and treatment medications.

For Rep. Lauren Davis (D-Shoreline), this legislation is deeply personal. 

“This bill closes several system gaps that my best friend Ricky (namesake of Ricky’s Law) fell through in the months before his tragic death last year,” said Davis. 
“Ricky got scared one night and left inpatient treatment. When he begged to go back the next day, they refused to readmit him. Then, when he tried to gain admission to a different inpatient facility, he was told he no longer qualified for treatment because he’d been sober for two weeks. 
"He relapsed shortly thereafter. Weeks later, he again went to inpatient treatment. And a week later, the treatment agency kicked him out at 9pm at night, with no ride, no discharge plan, and no hope. Three weeks later, Ricky was dead.”

The law will:
  • Prohibit inpatient SUD providers from refusing to readmit a patient who left against medical advice.
  • Prohibit insurance carriers from considering patient length of abstinence when determining admission criteria for inpatient treatment.
  • Require inpatient SUD treatment agencies to report to DOH when they kick a patient out of treatment and why. Patient forced discharges are a rampant problem.
  • Prohibit insurance carriers from considering patient length of stay in treatment in determining continued need for care. This is intended to stop the practice of insurance carriers discharging all patients after 28 days, when some need more care than that, particularly in the era of fentanyl.
  • Require all behavioral health agencies to provide patients with education about and access to medication treatment options for opioid use disorder (OUD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD). Only 1 in 3 patients with OUD has access to treatment medications and only 1 in 10 patients with AUD has access to treatment medications.
  • Allow hospitals to bill for long-acting injectable buprenorphine (Suboxone)
  • Require training for emergency department social workers on how to use Ricky’s Law, the state’s involuntary treatment system for patients with substance use disorder. Hospitals are frequently not summoning designated crisis responders to evaluate patients in substance use crisis, resulting in one-half of Ricky’s Law beds sitting empty.
  • Prohibit insurance carriers from requiring utilization review prior to 14 days of inpatient care and no more frequent than every 7 days. This is to reduce administrative burden on providers.
  • Create a patient shared decision making tool for use in primary care, emergency departments, and behavioral health settings regarding treatment medications for alcohol use disorder

SB 6228 signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee on Friday, March 29, 2024 at the UW Center For Behavioral Health and Learning (On Northwest Hospital Campus), 1550 N 115th St, Seattle 98133.

Invited to witness the signing were Sen. Manka Dhingra, Rep. Lauren Davis, stakeholders and advocates.


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KCSO: This week's drug bust

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Good dog K9 Quinn
Photo courtesy KCSO

It is almost a weekly occurrence.... another successful operation by our Pct. 4 SET and Shoreline Police SET.

Our detectives working hard on transnational drug trafficking cases and preventing dangerous drugs from reaching our communities...

Once again, we are very proud of our SET (Special Emphasis Team) for helping to keep drugs out of our communities.

On March 22, 2024, SET teams from Precinct 4, Burien Police Department, and Shoreline Police Department conducted a joint operation involving a drug trafficker who was distributing narcotics from Mt. Vernon to Lakewood. This investigation involved several warrants and hours of surveillance, which resulted in the following:
  • 7.53 pounds of Methamphetamine
  • 6.74 pounds of Fentanyl powder
  • 3.65 pounds of Heroin
  • 21 M-30 Fentanyl pills
  • $11,677 cash seized
  • 1 Suspect booked Investigation VUCSA/Possession with Intent
Approximate street value: $445,360.00

We also want to thank the professionals at our King County Sheriff's Office Communications Center for helping us to coordinate this effort.

Our SET team knows every Fentanyl pill, and every ounce of illegal narcotic that makes it into our evidence room is a life saved. They, along with every deputy (human or dog) at KCSO, are dedicated to enhancing the safety of our community and its members. Thank you for trusting us to do so.

--King County Sheriff's Office


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Two Bellingham transnational drug dealers sentenced to prison

Monday, March 18, 2024

Blue fentanyl. SAN file photo
Seattle – Two members of a transnational drug trafficking organization were sentenced to federal prison March 15, 2024 for arranging the sale of more than 75,000 fentanyl pills, announced U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. 

Juan Manuel Lugo Enriquez, 21, and a citizen of Mexico, sold 2,000 fentanyl pills to an undercover agent near Bellingham. 

Then, Lugo Enriquez and Guillermo Vieyra Salas, 24, also a citizen of Mexico, arranged a second deal involving 75,000 pills. 

U.S. District Judge Ricardo S. Martinez sentenced Lugo Enriquez to 38 months and Vieyra Salas to 48 months in prison. Judge Martinez found troubling the large amount of fentanyl at issue here, particularly because fentanyl has become “a leading cause of death over the last couple of years.”

“Federal law enforcement is keenly focused on getting as much fentanyl as possible off our streets,” said U.S. Attorney Gorman. “Seizing more than 75,000 pills will save lives.”

According to records filed in the case, the case began with a tip that a Seattle-based member of the drug trafficking organization, later identified as Lugo Enriquez, was bringing bulk quantities of fentanyl pills into Western Washington from Mexico. 

Defendant Vieyra Salas was already on law enforcement radar, charged with a drive-by shooting where he fired 27 rounds from a car he was driving while carrying cocaine. He also has a pending cocaine trafficking charge in Skagit County.

Homeland Security Investigations undercover agents quickly set up drug deals – first for 2,000 pills with Lugo Enriquez and then for a large order of 75,000 pills with Lugo Enriquez, Vieyra Salas, and a third defendant. As Lugo Enriquez and Vieyra Salas waited for the third defendant to deliver the drugs, Vieyra Salas offered to sell the undercover agents more pills.

The third defendant arrived at a separate meeting place to deliver the pills and was arrested. Lugo Enriquez and Vieyra Salas were arrested over the following days.

The defendant who delivered the pills, Jaime Alonso Hernandez-Hernandez, 41, is scheduled for sentencing on June 7, 2024.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Yunah Chung.


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Drug bust in Richmond Beach nets ten pounds of drugs and cash

Saturday, March 16, 2024

On Wednesday, March 13, 2024 the Shoreline Police Street Crimes Detectives successfully executed a search warrant in the Richmond Beach neighborhood of Shoreline, where nearly ten pounds of drugs and cash were seized. 

These types of investigations require a unique skill set, to include bilingual detectives bridging the communication gap.

Our deep gratitude to our partners, the Pct. 4 SET, Shoreline CIU Detectives, Shoreline patrol officers, and the dynamic duo of K-9 “Fury” and his partner for their collaboration. 

One person was booked in the King County Jail. 


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Shoreline Police Special Emphasis Team and K9 Quinn involved in another narcotics operation take-down

Friday, March 1, 2024

K9 Officer Quinn with drugs seized in the latest take-down
Photo courtesy KCSO

On February 29, 2024 the King County Sheriff's Office reported that last week, the Precinct 4 Special Emphasis Team concluded a several month-long joint narcotics operation with Homeland Security Investigations. 

The operation targeted a Drug Trafficking Organization responsible for distributing narcotics to White Center, Shoreline, Renton, Seattle, Marysville, Woodinville, Kirkland, Tulalip, Mt. Vernon, Des Moines, and Snohomish County.

Part of the drugs seized. Photo courtesy KCSO
The operation involved several warrants, and resulted in the following:
  • 71,000 M-30 Fentanyl Pills
  • 31 pounds of Methamphetamine
  • 2.76 pounds Fentanyl powder
  • 1.12 pounds of Heroin
  • $7047 cash seized
  • 1 car seized
Two individuals were booked into the Federal Detention Center (FDC) pending federal charges.

This operation could not have been possible without the collaboration of our partners at Shoreline Police Department SET, City of SeaTac SET, DEA-Tacoma, Burien Police Department, Skyway Patrol, KCSO’s Crime Analysis Unit, and our King County Sheriff's Office Communications Center.

Drugs kill, and we’re determined to collaborate with local and regional law enforcement partners to apprehend those accountable for distributing narcotics into our neighborhoods.

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Snohomish County Sheriff's Office busts drug dealers across the street from Shoreline

Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Meth from drug bust on 244th SW
Photo courtesy Snohomish County Sheriff's Dept
On February 21, 2024 the Snohomish Regional Drug Task Force (SRDTF) arrested a 48-year-old man and a 30-year-old woman after a months long investigation. 

The two suspects were apprehended in the 8400 block of 244th St SW in Edmonds, which is the other side of the street from N 205th St in Shoreline, between Dayton and Fremont. 

Detectives recovered two pistols, 36 pounds of methamphetamine, 7.6 pounds of fentanyl powder, 99 grams of cocaine and $22,166 cash was seized. 

The 30-year-old woman was booked on three counts manufacture/delivery/possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver. 

The 48-year-old man was booked on three counts of manufacture / delivery / possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, as well as two counts of alien carry or possess a firearm. 


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