With fatal heroin overdoses on the rise, Dane County law enforcement has taken action to seek a cure for the “heroin epidemic” infecting community members.
The number of heroin-related deaths in Dane County “skyrocketed” by 50 percent in 2012, according to a blog post from Madison Police Chief Michael Koval.
Madison Police Department Lt. Jason Freedman, the Dane County Narcotics Task Force commander, said the force has focused primarily on heroin in response to the concerning increase in drug use over the past three to four years.
“The good news is, down the road, I think we are going to reduce the number of people who get hooked on this drug,” Freedman said.
The recent affinity for the opiate has its roots in new pharmaceutical practices that limit access to prescription drugs, Freedman said. Pharmacies are distributing smaller and fewer doses with tamper-proofing to prevent formulation changes in prescribed drugs.
“You have sort of a command and control on the opiate that has significantly improved over the last few years,” Freedman said, “[which] will reduce the number of future addicts, hopefully, but it puts stress on the current addicts because they can’t get what they want when they need [it].”
The Dane County Narcotics Task Force has worked alongside other agencies including the Drug Enforcement Administration to prosecute heroin distributors large and small, according to Freedman. While city police regularly come across small-time heroin dealers, Freedman said the force “really likes” to find large scale dealers who bring in $10,000 to $50,000 worth of revenue.
Freedman said the force has made several heroin-related arrests this year with some cases going through either state or federal courts.
Attempts to reduce heroin use are in place across Dane County in addition to police services, according to Freedman.
Sue Moran, clinical director of Journey Mental Health Center, said many programs are available to assist with addiction recovery, such as the Dane County drug court and the county’s pilot program called the Jail-Opiate Project.
Heroin users arrested for nonviolent offenses have the opportunity to participate in drug courts, which offer individuals treatment services, according to Moran. Individuals must be referred by their attorney or screened into the court, where they meet with a judge regularly to evaluate if they are eligible for treatment.
The Jail-Opiate Project offers hope to many incarcerated drug-addicted individuals, according to Moran. Members of the mental health center talk to inmates about the risk of overdose and offer treatment services at their agency. Inmates are also offered a ride to their first appointment at the agency the moment they are discharged from jail.
According to Moran, 22 of the first 23 individuals selected for the program were employed within nine months of treatment.
“The majority of people who have started the program have remained in it and they’re doing really well,” Moran said.
While there are no easy cures for heroin addiction, Dane County has become more familiar with medicines that assist with addiction and overdose recovery, according to Moran.
Naltrexone is a drug, that reduces cravings, administered to individuals recovering from an opiate addiction that reduces cravings. Moran said Naltrexone injections assist with recovery treatments at her agency.
Narcan, another drug that counteracts opiates, is used for heroin overdoses and is one of the first drugs police have been trained to administer when confronted with heroin overdoses. Freedman said he expects to see fewer heroin-related deaths as a result of Narcan.
“I think we’re on the right path,” Freedman said. “But I think it will be a little while before we see significant improvements.”
