Mayors in Snohomish County consider jail as an option for fentanyl and drug treatment

In the fight against fentanyl abuse in Washington, almost every official agrees addiction treatment must be part of the solution. However, there is a divide on where treatment should happen.

MARYSVILLE, Wash. - In the fight against fentanyl abuse in Washington, almost every official agrees addiction treatment must be part of the solution. However, there is a divide on where treatment should happen.

Two mayors in Snohomish County said they believe individuals receiving help in jail provides them with timely intervention.

"Oftentimes, we overlook jail as a way to do that and that’s a big mistake," said City of Marysville mayor Jon Nehring. "Even small jails like ours have medically assisted treatment that can help bring them down from the addiction that they’re in and get them in a frame of mind where they can accept treatment."

In a Seattle Times opinion article, co-written with Everett mayor Cassie Franklin, Nehring said the idea of treatment during incarceration is to disrupt the cycle of addiction. It would also help increase safety, as he said as drugs and crime go hand in hand.

"We do have people that have committed crimes to feed a drug habit. And we can prosecute those crimes, get them into jail and get this medically assisted treatment, get them nursing care, and finally get them out of that scenario where they’re unable to find their way through the haze to treatment and say, you know what I will accept treatment now," said Nehring.

In more than 25 years of practicing medicine and addiction treatment, Bryan Blythe said he has never seen a drug more lethal than fentanyl.

"I was primarily seeing people who were addicted to heroin. And pretty much, I don’t see that at all anymore. It’s just strictly fentanyl 99.9% of the time," said Blythe. "When people use fentanyl, it could be their last time. It’s very strong, it’s very powerful."

Blythe is currently a physician assistant with Ideal Option in Arlington. Ideal Option has several outpatient clinics throughout the region, offering medication-assisted treatment for those struggling with addiction, including fentanyl.

Blythe’s work goes beyond the exam room. He said some of his patients are in Snohomish County jail cells.

"We offer treatment for people who are in jail, people who are incarcerated," said Blythe. "It’s one of the great opportunities to capture treatment because these folks can’t use when they’re in jail. So, they’re not using and that’s the time to jump in and try to offer some ongoing treatment for when they leave the jail."

The Snohomish Health District said fentanyl was involved in more than 80% of opioid-related deaths. This year, in Everett alone, 95 people have died from overdose.

In the mayors’ joint article, they said the legal system "can and should be part of the solution." Nehring said this would not be a "war on drugs" approach, as that was historically proven ineffective.

"Just throwing people in jail addicted to drugs is not the solution. None of us want to do that. Those days of hey, let’s just lock them up and put them away, doesn’t work, doesn’t in and of itself get them off drugs, doesn’t fix the societal problem," said Nehring. "We have to find a way to get them off the streets and get them into a situation where we can break that cycle and convince them to get into treatment."

"I’ve seen several patients in the jail in Snohomish County, who I’ve met in jail, followed up at this clinic here in Arlington and have gone to inpatient treatment. So, we have some success stories like that," said Blythe. "It’s such a positive thing to see those patients move through and get their life back."

The mayors’ op-ed comes as a divided Seattle City Council considers whether to prosecute open-air drug abuse. Opponents said they want voluntary treatment options instead.

Nehring said treatment behind bars is not the sole answer to the fentanyl crisis, but for some, it could be a lifesaving option.

"People addicted to fentanyl are going to die. It’s not if they’ll die, it’s just when they’ll die, if they don’t get intervention and treatment," said Nehring.