SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane City Council discussed two ordinances on Monday aimed at preventing overdoses.
The ordinances, put forth by Mayor Lisa Brown, would establish an Alcohol Impact Area downtown and regulate certain aspects of downtown businesses.
The first ordinance, if approved, would require all stores that sell drug paraphernalia, such as pipes and foils, to provide Narcan, the medicine that reverses overdoses, for free.
The second ordinance, if approved, would ban the sale of single-serve, to-go alcohol, such as tall boys and small liquor bottles, in downtown after midnight.
According to Spokane Police Department, 336 people died from an overdose in Spokane in 2024, and 30% of all alcohol-related incidents took place downtown over the last three years. SPD also said off-premise alcohol stores are hotspots for drug activity.
City officials believe an Alcohol Impact Area will help save lives.
“The vast majority of what we’re seeing on the street is more fentanyl-related than it is alcohol-related, but I do think that we are seeing a lot of folks who are using both,” said Spokane City Councilmember, Michael Cathcart.