Bill mandating fentanyl education for students passes Washington state House

A bill requiring public schools to teach 7th and 9th grade students about the dangers of fentanyl has passed the Washington House of Representatives and heads to the Senate.

The text of HB 1956 indicates it is motivated in part by federal data on the vulnerability of adolescents to experiencing a drug overdose.

For young people between the ages of 14 and 18, overdose deaths increased by almost 100% from 2019 to 2020, and 20% from 2020 to 2021. The bill also notes that between 2022 and 2023, Washington exhibited the largest increase in overdose deaths of any state in the nation.

“The Legislature recognizes that fatal overdose risk among adolescents is increasing due to widespread availability of illicitly manufactured fentanyl, proliferation of counterfeit pills resembling prescription drugs but containing illicit drugs, and ease of purchasing pills through social media,” the bill reads. 

“The United States drug enforcement administration states that there is significant risk that illegal drugs have been intentionally contaminated with fentanyl. As a result, many young people may ingest a lethal dose without knowing that they are consuming fentanyl.” 

If passed, HB 1956 would require schools to begin providing fentanyl education in health classes to the extent possible in the 2024-25 school year, and mandatorily thereafter. 

Bill sponsor Rep. Mari Leavitt, D-University Place, says the bill was inspired by the story of a constituent’s 16-year-old son who died from an accidental fentanyl overdose on Halloween in 2022. 

“I met with Maria, who lives in my district, several times since her son lost his life from smoking marijuana laced with fentanyl,” Leavitt wrote in an op-ed about HB 1956, referring to the bill as the Lucas Petty Act in honor of the deceased. 

“Our kids also need to know the warning signs of substance use disorder both in themselves and in their peers. Washington’s students need evidence-based resources and education that includes information developed through collaboration with experts.” 

HB 1956 has garnered bipartisan support, passing through the House unanimously. 

Elsewhere in the state, the fentanyl crisis has rocked the Native American community – a population dying to opioid overdoses at a rate four times the state average.  

The state Legislature is also considering a bill that would allocate roughly $8 million to tribes to battle the crisis.