Tensions rose on Wednesday at a Senate Committee on Indian Affairs oversight hearing on the ongoing crisis of fentanyl — a deadly synthetic opioid 100 times stronger than morphine — in Indian Country. In 2021, American Indians and Alaska Natives experienced the highest rate of opioid overdose deaths among any racial or ethnic population, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 1,300 Native lives were lost due to overdose that year. Yesterday's hearing brought federal voices to the table, with a panel composed of Deputy Director of the White House Office of National Drug Policy Adam W. Cohen; Indian Health Service Director Rosalyn Tso (Diné); U.S. Attorney, Eastern District of Washington Vanessa Waldref; and Bureau Deputy Director, Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Glen Melville (Makah Tribe).
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