Hogan Outlines Plans For Heroin Task Force, Council
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ)--Governor Hogan makes good on a promise to get a handle on Maryland's heroin problem.
Pat Warren has more on the effects heroin addiction is having on Maryland homes and neighborhoods.
Maryland's heroin problem crosses all boundaries in the state, and the Hogan administration wants to stop it.
Cameras flash as the governor signs what amounts to a warrant on heroin, and flashes back on how the drug has touched his life.
"I lost a first cousin to a heroin overdose just a couple of years ago and so I know what kind of devastation it can cause for families and communities," said Governor Hogan.
The McLaughlin family lost their 19-year old, Hannah.
In a WJZ special report, Jessica Kartalija probed the effects of the addiction in families who would not have expected to see it in their home.
"I called her name, shook her, and she didn't respond. No parent should ever have to do that," said Hannah's mom.
Between 2010 and 2013 Maryland saw a 95% increase in heroin overdose deaths. 464 people died of heroin overdoses in 2013, greater than the 387 homicides in Maryland that year. And 2014 is on track to surpass that number by 20%.
"When we asked the questions what's the almost universally everywhere we went when we asked what's the number one problem facing your community the answer was heroin," Hogan said.
The governor's plan includes treatment programs like one in Baltimore, run by Danny Brannon, clean since 2006.
"I lost my girlfriend Eileen to an opiate overdose at age 45. She left behind a 12-year-old daughter and a 15-year-old son," said Danny Brannon.
The problem is great, so the commitment will have to be. That commitment includes providing rapid overdose treatment and involves health, public safety, and juvenile agencies.
The governor originally intended to declare a state of emergency, but the situation doesn't qualify under state law.
