Newhouse Introduces Legislation to Help Central Washington Police Officers Address Opioid Epidemic

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) introduced the Law Enforcement Officers Preventing (Drug) Abuse Related Deaths or LEOPARD Act. This bill authorizes rural community response pilot grant programs to allow state and local law enforcement agencies to purchase naloxone, an effective tool to prevent and reduce opioid overdose deaths and directs at least 50% of the programs’ grant funding to rural communities.

“As the opioid crisis rages on across the country, and fentanyl floods across our borders, law enforcement officers are increasingly called upon to respond to drug overdose scenes,” said Rep. Newhouse. “Just last week, I met with several local law enforcement leaders, and a top issue plaguing their departments is the uptick in overdoses. There have even been instances right here in Central Washington in which law enforcement officers have come into contact with these substances and used naloxone to save their lives, or the lives of their fellow officers. Equipping our law enforcement officers with the tools they need to reduce overdose related deaths is a major component in combatting the opioid epidemic and reducing tragic and preventable deaths.”

 “The health and safety of our citizens is paramount to our success.  Members of the law enforcement profession are well trained and prepared to help those in need, and having the ability to deploy naloxone during critical incidents has and will continue to save lives of citizens across this country,” said Kevin Fuhr, Police Chief for the City of Moses Lake.

Click here to read the full text of the LEOPARD Act.

Background:

• Rep. Newhouse developed this legislation after meeting with local law enforcement officers to ensure this would effectively address their concerns.
• According to the CDC, there were 93,000 drug overdose deaths in 2020, a 30% increase from the previous year. Over 60% of those involved an opioid such as fentanyl.
• Naloxone, (frequently referred to by the brand name, “Narcan”) is an FDA approved drug that reverses the effects of opioids, including fentanyl, by blocking their uptake in the bloodstream. If administered quickly, either by injection or nasal spray, it can prevent someone who has overdosed from dying.
• State and local law enforcement are often the first ones on the scene in the event of an overdose. If equipped with Naloxone and prepared to deploy it effectively, they can prevent and reduce the number of opioid overdose deaths.
• Lack of availability and high costs of the necessary personnel, training, and the drug itself are prohibitive to law enforcement agencies – whose budgets are already and increasingly constrained - seeking to develop effective Naloxone deployment programs.
• Initiating a pilot grant program will allow local police departments agencies to access this highly effective tool and develop best practices for successful deployment efforts

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