OD INDICT PKG

As drug overdoses continue to increase during the pandemic...there's fresh talk about how to lower those numbers.

Abc 36's bobbi mcswine explores the debate between offering more help or more charges.

######### "we have really, as a community, paid the price here."

Clark county attorney william elkins says the number of drug overdose deaths in the county has increased since the pandemic began.

William elkins: "since march, we've probably lost 35 people maybe as many as 40."

The cause.elkins says depression related to the coronavirus.lone liness.and access to stimulus money from months ago.

William elkins: "today, we're confronted with a more deadlier version of street drugs with this heroine and fentanyl."

All of this is why elkins says he's glad in recent years...kentucky has imposed manslaughter charges for people who sell drugs...if it leads to an overdose death.

William elkins: "it's just another way that we can attack the drug trade in clark county and protect lives.

It's not the best case scenario because at that point, we're coming in after the fact."

John moses..team leader of harm reduction services with the c1 3 lexington fayette county health department...tries to prevent that situation.

Like elkins...he says there are record numbers of overdoses this year.

John moses: "we're meeting people where they're at and so we're doing everything in our power to help protect them."

Moses agrees with elkins...saying the main cause is the high distribution of fentanyl.

But he disagrees with the increased charges.

John moses: "the more we criminalize drug behavior, be it using or selling of drugs, that will continue even with - no matter what charges you bring.

The market is just that ripe."

The best tool to use?....moses says it's education.

In lexington...bobbi mcswine...abc 36 news.

######## moses urges lexingtonians to get narcan training...that's a free 15-minute class on how to use narcan to reverse an overdose.

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