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Friday,  April 18 , 2025
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Tagged Articles:
Opioids

Vancouver police Officer Cole Larson talks with a motorist before confiscating a device used to smoke fentanyl and issuing a citation on April 4. Therapeutic drug courts have seen lower participation since decriminalization of drug possession.

Clark County’s drug court is quiet in wake of Blake Decision, say officials

Vancouver police Officer Cole Larson talks with a motorist before confiscating a device used to smoke fentanyl and issuing a citation on April 4. Therapeutic drug courts have seen lower participation since decriminalization of drug possession.

May 4, 2024, 6:10am Clark County News

Drug possession is no longer a felony in Washington as of 2021. Advocates lauded the change, arguing that criminalization of drugs has historically led to disproportionate imprisonment of people of color. However, lighter consequences for drug possession are pushing more people in Clark County to accept traditional sentences rather than… Read story

Members of the Vancouver Police Department respond to a call of a dead person suspected to have overdosed at a homeless encampment near Hazel Dell on April 4. At top, Officer Cole Larson of the Vancouver Police Department confiscates a device for smoking fentanyl from a motorist while on patrol April 4.

People are staying homeless for longer than ever before in Clark County — experts say fentanyl is a factor

Members of the Vancouver Police Department respond to a call of a dead person suspected to have overdosed at a homeless encampment near Hazel Dell on April 4. At top, Officer Cole Larson of the Vancouver Police Department confiscates a device for smoking fentanyl from a motorist while on patrol April 4.

April 20, 2024, 6:14am Clark County Health

It was during cleanup of an encampment in east Vancouver two years ago that the city’s homeless response manager realized a dangerous shift had occurred. Read story

Paul Hunter has wounds on his leg consistent with those caused by xylazine, a veterinary tranquilizer. The presence of xylazine in Clark County’s drug supply has almost doubled since November, according to Columbia River Mental Health.

‘Tranq’-laced fentanyl nearly doubles in Clark County and expert says it will only get worse

Paul Hunter has wounds on his leg consistent with those caused by xylazine, a veterinary tranquilizer. The presence of xylazine in Clark County’s drug supply has almost doubled since November, according to Columbia River Mental Health.

April 12, 2024, 6:05am Clark County Health

Paul Hunter’s legs are rotting. The wounds along his calves, skin and ankles are eating away at his freckled flesh. Every time he takes his socks off, the wounds rip open again. Read story

A paramedic was skeptical about this treatment for stopping repeat opioid overdoses. Then he saw it help

April 7, 2024, 5:44am Health

Fire Capt. Jesse Blaire steered his SUV through the mobile home park until he spotted the little beige house with white trim and radioed to let dispatchers know he’d arrived. Read story

FILE - Packets of buprenorphine, a drug used to control heroin and opioid cravings, are shown in Greenfield, Mass., July 23, 2018. As the Oregon Legislature considers overhauling the state's pioneering drug decriminalization law, a bipartisan group of lawmakers are pushing for more funding for medications used to treat opioid addiction in jails.

Fentanyl crisis descends on jail in a small WA town short on treatment

FILE - Packets of buprenorphine, a drug used to control heroin and opioid cravings, are shown in Greenfield, Mass., July 23, 2018. As the Oregon Legislature considers overhauling the state's pioneering drug decriminalization law, a bipartisan group of lawmakers are pushing for more funding for medications used to treat opioid addiction in jails.

April 1, 2024, 6:07am Editor's Choice

When he was growing up, Ivan Howtopat dreamed of being a famous skateboarder. Playing college basketball. Buying his mom a house. Read story

A container of Narcan, or naloxone, sits on tree roots at a longstanding homeless encampment.

Southwest Washington cities OK interlocal agreement to form opioid abatement council

A container of Narcan, or naloxone, sits on tree roots at a longstanding homeless encampment.

March 27, 2024, 6:08am Clark County Health

The city of Vancouver will soon be able to tap into opioid settlement funds to help fight Southwest Washington’s opioid crisis. Read story

Battle Ground police Sgt. Richard Kelly died from a fentanyl and methamphetamine overdose. The office ruled his death an accident.

Battle Ground police Sgt. Richard Kelly confiscated illicit drugs hours before overdosing, says report

Battle Ground police Sgt. Richard Kelly died from a fentanyl and methamphetamine overdose. The office ruled his death an accident.

March 27, 2024, 6:05am Clark County News Subscriber Exclusive

Battle Ground police Sgt. Richard Kelly confiscated illicit drugs hours before he suffered a fatal overdose in his office, the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office found. Read story

A vending machine in the lobby of the Clark County Jail offers free opioid overdose reversal medication.

Clark County Jail gains naloxone vending machine

A vending machine in the lobby of the Clark County Jail offers free opioid overdose reversal medication.

March 26, 2024, 6:07am Clark County Health

Clark County Jail Services and its partners have installed a naloxone vending machine in the jail’s public lobby. Read story

FILE - Fake pill bottles with messages about OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma are displayed during a protest outside the courthouse where the bankruptcy of the company is taking place in White Plains, N.Y., on Aug. 9, 2021. Attorney General Bob Ferguson said more than $100 million in opioid settlement money has been directed to cities and counties in Washington, including more than $33 million to Clark County.

Clark County governments to receive combined $33 million from opioid litigations

FILE - Fake pill bottles with messages about OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma are displayed during a protest outside the courthouse where the bankruptcy of the company is taking place in White Plains, N.Y., on Aug. 9, 2021. Attorney General Bob Ferguson said more than $100 million in opioid settlement money has been directed to cities and counties in Washington, including more than $33 million to Clark County.

March 20, 2024, 6:18pm Clark County Health

Local governments in Clark County and across Washington received a combined $55 million to combat the opioid epidemic. The money comes from litigation resolutions between the state and opioid distributors, manufacturers and national pharmacy chains. Read story

A container of Narcan, or naloxone, sits on tree roots at a longstanding homeless encampment.

Washington Gov. Inslee signs fentanyl bill sending money to disproportionately affected tribes

A container of Narcan, or naloxone, sits on tree roots at a longstanding homeless encampment.

March 20, 2024, 3:25pm Health

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. Read story