Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has signed a multimillion-dollar measure to send state money to tribes and Indigenous people in the state who die from opioid overdoses at disproportionately high rates in Washington. Inslee signed the bill, along with a half-dozen other fentanyl-related bills, Tuesday on the Tulalip Indian Reservation. The bill for tribes is expected to provide nearly $8 million total each year for the 29 federally recognized tribes in Washington. The money will come partly from a roughly half-billion-dollar settlement between the state and major opioid distributors. The measures seek to address the fentanyl crisis throughout the state by improving opioid education, overdose prevention, treatment access, recovery supports, and first-responder resources.
