TULALIP, Wash. — As hundreds gathered on the Tulalip reservation to celebrate the passage of new laws to fight the opioid crisis, it was a bittersweet day for Maria Petty.
Tuesday was a day she had been both looking forward to and dreading.
"I'm very excited and happy to see this signed into law but at the end of the day it's a reminder that we're all here because my son isn't," Petty said.
Petty's son, Lucas, died 17 months ago after smoking marijuana laced with fentanyl. He was just 16 years old.
Now, the Lucas Petty Act will mandate fentanyl education in health classes across the state.
It's one of seven new laws that Gov. Jay Inslee signed into law Tuesday on the reservation. The new laws range from more money for treatment programs to the opioid overdose antidote Narcan now being supplied in all schools across the state. They're part of Inslee's $50 million push to bring Washington's opioid epidemic under control.
According to the state Department of Health, Washington saw more than 2,700 overdose deaths in 2022; 68% of them were from fentanyl. The death rate on Native American reservations is four times the state average.
Inslee's office reported police and paramedics across the state responded to 2,000 suspected overdoses every month last year.
Petty reminded everyone that even the best parents can be caught off guard by the deadly drug.
"I felt safe in my home. I felt confident in my parenting, and I am here and my child is not," she said, tears streaming down her face.
A group of students from Kirkland's Lake Washington High School were the ones responsible for the new Narcan legislation.
Tuesday was a proud day for senior Sophia Lymberis.
"It feels really incredible. I never imagined being 18 years old and having a piece of legislation passed," the teen said. "Looking at the number of my peers, alone, who have suffered from this problem makes it so important that we come together. I don't think any of us ever imagined something like this would be possible."
It's a future full of possibilities thanks to new legislation inspired by futures cut short too soon.
"My son is able to live on," said Petty. "He's having an impact even though he's not here with us."