OLYMPIA, Wash. — During her six years in Olympia, state Representative Debra Lekanoff has focused on legislation regarding salmon recovery and celebrating Native American heritage.
But this session Lekanoff is focusing on another issue she has a personal passion for: addiction and recovery.
”I'm a fresh recovering addict who came out of recovery just a few months ago," Lekanoff said. "I don't think I would have stepped into recovery and continued the work I'm doing today unless I realized I wasn't alone."
Lekanoff, D-Bow, said she had used depressants, including opioids and alcohol, most of her adult life.
She said it helped her cope with the physical and sexual abuse she suffered as a minor, as well as generational trauma suffered by her ancestors.
Lekanoff, raised in Alaska, is a member of the Tlingit Tribe.
She said an alcohol addiction got her to seek help in June of 2023.
“I really realized that I was an addict, and I needed help when I realized there were days I couldn't leave my house, were there days when I was alone," Lekanoff said. “Or the look for my daughter's eyes of seeing the ultimate disappointment. And being scared that I would no longer be here and be a mom.”
She said seeking help taught her she is not alone, and that’s one reason she has gone public with her struggles.
Lekanoff said she fears her revelation could hurt relationships and her reputation as a legislator.
“I see people who are going to hear this, and they're gonna look at me, and they'll say, ‘We didn't know. Can we still trust her? Is she still worthy?'" Lekanoff said.
Lekanoff worries her admission will only reinforce stereotypes about Native Americans.
”I hear this all the time, ‘those natives. They're, they're just addicts should have assimilated them should have done away with them,'" Lekanoff said. "History shows that. But I'm sitting here in the state legislature recognizing and understanding that I can rise above that stereotype, that stigma of being Native American, that stigma and stereotype of being an addict.”
Lekanoff is backing a package of bills she called “Heal One Washington.” Her proposed legislation would provide state funding for tribes and local governments to offer more substance abuse and mental health counseling, and open more facilities to help tribal and non-tribal members battle addiction.