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Montco task force to address heroin overdoses

NORRISTOWN Faced with an alarming rise in overdose deaths from heroin and prescription drugs, Montgomery County has appointed a task force to address the issue.

NORRISTOWN Faced with an alarming rise in overdose deaths from heroin and prescription drugs, Montgomery County has appointed a task force to address the issue.

The task force held its first meeting Friday and expects to issue a report by early 2015.

Eileen Lafferty, of the Office of Drug and Alcohol Prevention, said Montgomery County ranks seventh in the nation for prescription overdoses and heroin fatalities.

Abington Police Chief Bill Kelly, who is leading the task force, said the problem comes not just from street drug dealers but also "hard-working, usually law-abiding citizens who became addicted . . . with a legal prescription they received to control pain after an injury or a surgery."

When the prescription runs out, he said, they may switch to heroin, which "is often much stronger than in the past and is often laced with other substances."

The task force's goal will be to reduce the number of overdoses and deaths through public education and community partnerships.

- Jessica Parks