As a class of drugs, opioids include some prescription medicines commonly referred to as painkillers, and street drugs such as heroin. When prescription drugs are misused or overprescribed, they can contribute to dangerous drug interactions, substance use disorder, overdoses and deaths. And Washington has not been spared the consequences of opioid misuse.
Researchers no longer consider prescription medicines the top contributor to opioid-related deaths in Washington. For example, by 2021, the rate of patients prescribed opioids in our state had dropped by 45 percent since its height in 2015. In that year, nearly one in 10 people were prescribed an opioid.
Nonetheless, more than 9,000 Washingtonians died from opioid prescription drug overdoses over the last two decades, according to Department of Health (DOH) data. In 2020, more than a quarter of opioid-related deaths in Washington involved commonly prescribed opioids. (The Addictions, Drug and Alcohol Institute at the University of Washington developed this estimate.) And many more people have had their lives affected by opioid-use disorders.
DOH’s Prescription Monitoring Program began operating more than 10 years ago. Its goals include: to improve patient care, reduce the abuse of controlled substances and help medical professionals reduce overprescribing. This independent, in-depth performance audit identified detailed steps that will help DOH improve the effectiveness of this program.
Read a two-page summary of the report.