Pill presses become illegal in Washington state on July 23. Here’s why
Tyler Yates’ father, Greg Yates, remembers his son as being a well-liked and very active guy.
But a significant motorcycle accident, and the subsequent opioid prescription from the hospital, are what first introduced Tyler to narcotics. That introduction led to an addiction, and later, by mistake, his tragic death.
“It’s a demon that he battled off and on for a number of years,” Greg Yates told McClatchy. “Unfortunately, at the time of his death, he had actually been doing very well for about the previous year or so.”
In January 2022, Tyler purchased Percocet, an opioid used to treat pain, from a dealer. What Tyler didn’t know was that the pill was counterfeit and contained fentanyl. Tyler died the same evening in Shelton.
Tyler’s death led to the creation of a bill during this year’s legislative session called the Tyler Lee Yates Act, legislation aimed at stemming the tide of fentanyl overdoses by making pill presses in the state illegal.
That law goes into effect July 23 and will prohibit the purchase, sale and possession of pill presses in the state of Washington. The bill passed both chambers of the Legislature unanimously during the 2023 session, and was signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee in April.
Greg Yates told McClatchy that, as a veteran firefighter, he has seen firsthand how convincing pills made with a pill press can look.
“If you pull up a picture online, you cannot tell the difference between an actual 30 mg Oxycodone tablet and a counterfeit one that has been pressed. Exact same markings, exact same everything. And that was being done with these pill presses,” he said.
He also noted that the amount of fentanyl added to each pill varies widely.
“You could get one of those pills and it could have hardly any fentanyl in it, or you could get another one that had enough to kill 10 people,” he added.
State Rep. Dan Griffey, R-Allyn, co-sponsored the bill this year. The bill was personal for Griffey too: He and Greg Yates worked together as firefighters in Mason County for many years before Griffey retired.
Griffey told McClatchy that he believes the pill press is another tool law enforcement officials can use to target those who are creating and distributing fake pills. He said those who produce fake tablets are very knowledgeable about how to make the pills look legitimate.
“When somebody does that, it is deceiving somebody into taking their own life,” Griffey said.
The pill presses allow manufacturers to produce fentanyl-laced pills quickly, said Rep. Mari Leavitt, D-University Place, who was the prime sponsor of the bill this year.
“As a mom with three school-aged children at home, it’s frightening to think how easily adults and children alike can be duped and potentially die or become addicted as a result,” she said.
According to a quarterly review released by the Department of Children, Youth and Families this year, fentanyl “continues to be the leading cause of near-fatal injury in cases” reviewed by the agency.
In 2022 alone, 109,680 people in the U.S. died from drug overdoses.
Although Griffey and Greg Yates said that they believe that lawmakers can do more to tackle the fentanyl crisis, they agreed the bill passed this year will help.
“If this tragedy leads to even saving one person, at least there will be something good that came out of this loss,” Greg Yates said.
This story was originally published July 15, 2023 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Pill presses become illegal in Washington state on July 23. Here’s why."
