Incumbent State Rep. Peterson notes state’s heroin, opioid crises

Published 3:10 pm Thursday, July 14, 2016

By Evan Smith

Incumbent Democratic 21st District State Rep. Strom Peterson says that providing support for public schools isn’t the only issue he has been working on in the legislature. When Peterson recently sent a statement about what he thought were the most important issues in this year’s election, he said that he was working on issues in addition to those that get a lot of attention.

Peterson’s statement is here. Libertarian challenger Alex Hels has not responded to requests for an issue statement. No Republican filed to run for the position.

Peterson and Hels will run on the Aug. 2 primary ballot, with both likely to advance from the “top two” primary to the November general-election ballot.

The 21st Legislative District includes most of Edmonds, unincorporated areas north of Edmonds and Lynnwood and northeast of Lynnwood, all of Mukilteo and part of south Everett.

Here are statements from the candidates in the order their names will appear on the primary ballot and in the voters’ pamphlet:

Strom Peterson (Prefers Democratic Party) —

We have some big discussions to cover here such as fully funding education, rebuilding our social safety net, and protecting our environment. Big discussions to cover; instead, I would like to mention the work around the opioid and heroin crisis tearing families and communities apart. I am working on a number of pieces of legislation to try and keep people from becoming addicted, treat those that are, and provide life-saving medication for the all-too-often overdose situation. Working with law enforcement, public health officials, and the medical community, I hope Washington can be a leader in addressing this epidemic.

Alex Hels (Prefers Libertarian Party) —

Has not responded to requests for an issue statement.

Evan Smith can be reached at schsmith@frontier.com.