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Hundreds Gather To Address Ohio Drug Addiction Epidemic
By: Associated Press
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – Hundreds of police officers, community officials, medical personnel and others have gathered in Columbus for a summit aimed at fighting Ohio’s drug addiction epidemic.
The one-day meeting called by Attorney General Mike DeWine focused on programs being used successfully around the state to slow the epidemic and help its victims.
The topics Thursday included treating drug overdose scenes as crime scenes, using an anti-overdose drug to save lives, addressing addiction in jails, keeping addicts from doctor shopping and reaching out to overdose survivors once they’re back home.
A record 2,482 people in Ohio died from accidental overdoses in 2014, an 18 percent increase over the previous year. That includes a record 1,177 overdose deaths related to heroin, up from 986 in 2013.