Chesco’s opioid crisis fight starting to pay dividends
WESTCHESTER» For Americans under age 50, the leading cause of death used to be injuries caused by accidents. Now, it’s drug overdoses.
Last year, Chester County officials collected and disposed of 10,000 pounds of unwanted medication. In the last four years, the number of drugs collected in Chester County has octupled – that’s eight times more, from 1,392 pounds to 10,045 pounds.
“The national opioid crisis is affecting people from all walks of life,” said Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan. “In Chester County, we are fortunate to have the resources to stay on the cutting edge of the fight against this epidemic, using multiple tactics to protect our citizens and showing the way for areas that do not have our tools. The bad news is that this battle will continue for a substantial period of time. The good news is that we are beginning to see the tide turning in our favor, and we are making substantial progress in this national health emergency.”
Unfortunately, the opioid crisis is growing. In Chester County, 547 people died of drug overdoses in the past three years, according to a recent report by the DEA’s Philadelphia Division and the University of Pittsburgh. Nearly 69 percent of those drug overdose deaths were men, 90.5 percent of whom were white. Nearly 47 percent were in the age range of 25 to 44.
“Chester County uses every tool at our disposal to fight the opioid epidemic,” said Terence Farrell, county commissioner. “But we know that we need a balanced approach. We need to cut off the supply by locking up dealers. We also need to divert addicts from jail and get them into treatment.”
Chester County’s drug disposal box program was started in 2014 by the Chester County District Attorney’s Office, the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association, and Chester County police departments. The boxes allow citizens to dispose of drugs in a safe manner, simply dropping the drugs into the locked boxes for later disposal by law enforcement.
And the program is working, according to numbers released by county officials. Hogan said the destruction of these drugs keeps dangerous opioids from falling into the hands of addicts or children, as well as making sure that the drugs are not dumped into the drinking water system.
“The Chester County Commissioners are dedicated to doing everything possible to create a safe environment for the good people of Chester County,” said Michelle Kichline, county
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