Latta holds discussion on opioid crisis

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BOWLING GREEN — U.S. Representative Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green) discussed the opioid epidemic Thursday morning in a pair of conference calls with local law enforcement. The discussions, held with county sheriffs and police chiefs from Ohio’s Fifth Congressional District, touched on the challenges that law enforcement faces in addressing this pressing crisis.

Last year in Ohio, 4,050 deaths were due to drug overdoses — a 33 percent increase over 2015. Law enforcement officials pointed out in Thursday’s call that they are also seeing an increase in prevalence of other illicit drugs like methamphetamine and cocaine. Latta will share the information he received on the call with the White House Opioid Commission.

“When I met with the White House Opioid Commission, it was clear that they know many of the solutions will come from our local communities,” said Latta. “Today’s discussions — held on National Overdose Awareness Day — were particularly informative to me because this problem is evolving so rapidly in our nation.

“I came away with a number of recommendations to share with the commission and my colleagues in Congress on how we can find solutions to a problem that continues to get worse,” Latta added. “With overdose deaths continuing to rise, attacking this issue from the local, state, and federal level is the only way we can reverse the trend and save countless lives.”

Many on the call shared their concern with the prevalence of fentanyl — blamed for approximately 58 percent of overdose deaths last year — which can also present safety concerns for officers responding to calls. One sheriff even mentioned they had a case recently where marijuana had been laced with fentanyl, a deeply concerning development.

Law enforcement discussed drug drop-off boxes, drug courts, and treatment options and also expressed concern over the rising cost of Naxolone (Narcan), which is a drug used to revive overdosed users.

In addition to discussing the rising use of other drugs, law enforcement officials on the call also discussed the obstacles to deploying canine units to search for drugs, which includes cost. Several participants said substantial cooperation between departments has helped the different agencies use canines when needed.

Latta has continued to engage people in Ohio that are working to curb the use of opioids and illicit drugs, including meeting with pharmacists, educators, and students this week at Ohio Northern University’s College of Pharmacy. In Washington, he has participated in a meeting of the White House Opioid Commission and helped to push legislation like the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act and the 21st Century Cures Act, which were signed into law.

Those bills both provide essential resources and policy changes to address the opioid crisis. Ohio has received $26 million already under the legislation.