Opioid misuse and overdoses are a serious public health crisis across Washington state and nationwide.

From 2019 to 2021, the annual number of opioid drug overdose deaths in the state nearly doubled. About 55 people in America die each day from an overdose of prescribed or illicit opioids, including fentanyl and heroin.

It’s crucial to get real information and education on opioid use to communities. Washington State University faculty and staff, including assistant professor Nicole Rodin at the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, have teamed up with colleagues across Washington to get accurate and useful facts out to people and try to prevent overdoses.

They’ve focused on rural communities hit hard by opioid use, often with limited medical facilities and support.

Rodin talks with Washington State Magazine editor Larry Clark about the scope of the opioid epidemic, effective education, reducing stigma, and how we can all lend our support.

There’s a need to treat substance use disorders as health care, Rodin says. “It is a disorder. It is a medical condition, and we have yet to treat it that way as a society.”

Read more about WSU efforts on curbing substance use and addiction in the Spring 2024 issue of Washington State Magazine.

Other resources:

Rural Opioid Technical Assistance Collaborative (Northwest Region 10)

Opioid Overdose Prevention, Recognition, and Response (Washington State Department of Health)

How to talk about substance use (Washington State Magazine, Spring 2024)

WSU PEAR—Program of Excellence in Addictions Research

WSU APPL—Analytics and PsychoPharmacology Laboratory

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For over 20 years, Dick Perez was the official artist of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, painting the game’s history and every Hall of Fame ballplayer—a project he continues into his 80s. Marq Evans (Claydream, The Glamour & The Squalor) directed The Diamond King, a documentary that tells the fascinating story of Perez, the “Picasso of Baseball,” whose portraits transformed the commemoration of America’s most iconic pastime.

In this episode, Evans talks with Washington State Magazine editor Larry Clark about Perez’s life, making the documentary, baseball, and art.

Find out more

The Diamond King official website

Trailer for The Diamond King

Dick Perez’s website

“Collecting the Diamond Kings” (Summer 2025, Washington State Magazine)

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“It’s only rock n roll, but I like it,” is not really a good answer in Washington State University’s popular history of rock music class.

Hundreds of WSU students learn how to really dig into the tunes. They study how rock ‘n’ roll is tied into American society, history, and culture, by analyzing lyrics and music styles from over the decades.

A.J. Miller is the main instructor of the rock ‘n’ roll history class through the WSU School of Music. He talks with magazine associate editor Adriana Janovich about the class, why it matters, and what students get out of it.

They cover everything from The Beatles to Beyoncé, Bob Dylan to Kendrick Lamar. And along the way, Miller introduces a six-step process for examining songs.

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Read more about the class in “School of rock” (Washington State Magazine, Spring 2025).

A.J Miller is also assistant director of the Washington State University Cougar Marching Band. Read about the band and watch a video of them in action at Washington State Magazine.

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