Despite the attention focused on Ohio because it leads the nation in overdose deaths, the state has yet to devise a comprehensive, properly funded strategy to turn the tide of what has been described by those on the front lines as an opiate epidemic. Officials expect overdose deaths will set another record for 2016, surpassing the 3,050 of the previous year, yet a proportionate response, fully embracing prevention, treatment and law enforcement, remains elusive.
As reported last week by Doug Livingston, a Beacon Journal staff writer, powerful synthetic opiates such as fentanyl and carfentanil are being mixed with heroin, with deadly results. In response, state Sen. Frank LaRose has reintroduced legislation that would impose harsher criminal penalties and mandatory prison time for those who sell fentanyl-related compounds in small batches or mix it with other drugs. In an effort to create balance, the bill by the Hudson Republican would provide treatment for addicts at the time of sentencing.
While the intent is to differentiate addicts from dealers, the line can be blurry, many addicts becoming dealers to support their habit. Once in prison, they do not get the care they need.
More, the resources available across the state for treatment are strained beyond the breaking point, even for relatively well-funded agencies such as the Summit County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Board, which is dipping into levy reserves to get addicts the long-term treatment necessary to improve the odds of kicking their habit for good.
The state’s contribution to local efforts has been inadequate. In his budget plan, Gov. John Kasich merely maintains current spending to fight drug addiction, at about $1 billion a year, most of it federal funds via the Medicaid expansion, now in jeopardy in the nation’s capital.
With the number of overdose deaths rising, legislators in both parties are pushing in the right direction, for the state to devote more resources to the problem, especially for treatment and prevention. They point to the state’s $2 billion rainy day fund. A small fraction of the fund would have a beneficial impact.
Additional funding must be combined with a holistic approach, as recommended by state Rep. Greta Johnson, an Akron Democrat, recognizing that it is impossible to cope with the opiate epidemic from the supply side alone. Too many addicts are ready to become dealers to support their habit. Even mass arrests and incarcerations would not be enough.
Johnson continues to push the governor to declare a state of emergency, which he has refused to do, especially for prevention and treatment. Johnson also wants to see a bipartisan legislative commission drawn from both chambers to coordinate the state’s response, creating a balanced, long-term approach. Forming such a group, backed by adequate funding, would be a long-overdue recognition of the severity of the drug problem Ohio is facing and the devastation suffered by families across the state.