Chelan & Douglas Counties Shattering Records For Drug Overdose Deaths

With nearly three weeks still remaining in 2024, Chelan and Douglas Counties have already set a dubious new benchmark for drug overdose deaths.

According to blended statistics provided by Chelan County Coroner Wayne Harris and Douglas County Coroner Tanner Bateman, there have been 36 fatal drug overdose incidents in the two-county area so far this year, including a sobering eight during a recent eleven day stretch between Nov. 15-25.

Most of the deaths have been precipitated by fentanyl, although a handful are also attributable to methamphetamine or other narcotics.

This year's overdose fatalities are already nearly double that of the 19 that the two counties collectively reported last year.

Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison says the trend is alarming, especially since the national numbers for overdose deaths are in decline.

"It's a disturbing trend to see that we have an uptick of deaths within our region. Meanwhile, we're seeing on a national level that drug deaths have declined by fourteen percent, however, here in the Western U.S., they continue to go up."

The downward movement in overdose fatalities at the national level is largely being credited to stepped up efforts by drug enforcement agents at the U.S./Mexico border and preventative programs through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Morrison says even the drug cartels themselves have taken note of the issues posed by the lethal nature of fentanyl.

"The cartels are actually making an effort to reduce the amount of fentanyl in their drugs because even they are recognizing that this is having a negative effect on...you don't want to use the term but, they're customers - and their ability to continue being return customers."

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One of the primary reasons Morrison believes the problem is still a growing concern within his jurisdiction, as well as several Western states, is the justice system's inability to hold offenders properly accountable for distributing fentanyl.

Morrison cites recent remarks by Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy that he agrees with, suggesting that prosecuting bodies should be given the authority to charge drug dealers who offer fentanyl with murder.

"I believe this is being made way worse because we are not holding those accountable for distributing it (fentanyl) within these regions for their actions. And I don't think the idea of charging these offenders with murder should be off the table here in Washington. This is over thirty people we're talking about, as well as all the pain and suffering it has caused their families and loved ones. And really, this is nothing new to drug dealers anyway - the knowledge that the things that they are dealing on our streets are causing people to die. They are, in my opinion, murderers. They're killing people within our community and we're not going to standby and allow them to be out there unopposed, we're going to hold them accountable for their actions."

In addition to being tougher on those who deal and distribute fentanyl, Morrison says the state's laws also need to become more rigid for those who use the drug.

"A lot of the individuals who have been caught using fentanyl are people who have already been through our correctional facilities and have had frequent run-ins with the law. The state has already reduced the penalties for being in possession of these drugs and it needs to remain a felony-level crime. I realize we're not going to arrest our way out of this problem but we need these tools in place if we're going to see any real changes. These individuals have no problem at all whatsoever with serving their time for misdemeanors and gross misdemeanors. But when you're looking at the possibility of serving time for a felony or even going to prison, that is a motivator to make those tough life decisions and get clean."

Over the past year, several organizations in the Wenatchee Valley - including the Chelan-Douglas Health District, have introduced vending machines that dispense no-cost naloxone (also known more colloquially by its brand name, Narcan), a drug that rapidly reverses the life-threatening effects of an opioid overdose.

Morrison says that while he sees the benefits of making such a medication readily available to those addicted to substances like fentanyl, this preventative measure is also not a solution to the root cause of overdose fatalities.

"It's a dual-edged sword. If it saves a life, then automatically it's worth it. But I don't want our communities to put out a safety net that enables these individuals to continue making the poor decisions that they're making and simply rely on their friends to give them Narcan when they overdose. We shouldn't be providing them with a safe environment to do these drugs, but we do want the tool out there to help save lives - especially when it's in the hands of our deputies. We need to come up with a more balanced approach. We can't be enabling this drug and its users, but we don't want any more people to die."

Of the 36 deaths reported in the two-county area in 2024, 19 have occurred within the city of Wenatchee, while five have taken place at hospitals.

Sheriff Morrison and coroners Harris and Bateman all say that while the public's perception might be that most of this year's overdose deaths have occurred within the region's homeless population, an equal number are actually happening in otherwise tranquil neighborhoods, and have even impacted the community's more affluent sectors as well.