Mayor Harrell signs executive order to combat fentanyl crisis in Seattle

SEATTLE — Mayor Bruce Harrell issued an executive order Monday outlining his plan to combat the rising fentanyl crisis in Seattle. It came with the introduction of a Downtown Activation Plan, an initiative the Mayor's office says is meant to "revitalize and reimagine Seattle’s downtown."

Harrell's executive order will include disrupting the sale of narcotics, launching an overdose response unit, a drug abatement program and expanding access to naloxone. 

“Essential to any long-term neighborhood revitalization is safety and health: The fentanyl crisis on our streets is causing death and disorder – we have an obligation to do more for those suffering from substance use issues and for all neighbors,” Harrell said in his executive order. “There are no quick fixes to this complicated challenge, but our Executive Order takes urgent steps to decrease trafficking of deadly drugs and to deliver new, innovative, and sustainable approaches helping those suffering from substance use disorder.”

The main highlights of Harrell's executive order include: 

• Seattle Police Department prioritizing efforts to disrupt the distribution and sale of narcotics
• A pilot expansion of the Seattle Fire Department’s Health One program to include an overdose response unit dedicated to quickly engaging overdose survivors 
• A drug abatement program known as “contingency management" in an effort to encourage individuals with substance use disorder to accept treatment services by providing incentives (low dollar gift cards). The 12-week program rewards individuals with substance addiction for abstinence
• Create a post-overdose diversion facility where people can be brought after non-fatal overdoses to recover, get stabilized on medications, and access resources
• Expanding access to treatment services and overdose reversal medications, particularly in high-overdose locations.

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Fentanyl, which can be up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100x stronger than morphine, is believed to have caused 712 overdoses in King County in 2022, up from 385 in 2021. 

There were 589 drug overdose deaths in Seattle in 2022, an increase of 72% in a year according to Harrell's executive order.  Most of the deaths were attributed to fentanyl, Harrell said. 

Harrell said in his executive order that overdoses have been the leading cause of unintentional fatal injury in King County over the last two years.